Out Of The Vortex: Ianto's World Arc
by Cameron-Sholto
Summary: EPISODES 2 AND 3. Hart uses a paradox gun to prevent the death of Ianto Jones, causing a fractured alternate timeline. Can Torchwood's present and future save the world this time? And what will it cost them?
1. City Of The Damned: Rewrite

**Ianto's World: City Of The Damned**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or Doctor Who. The characters of Sarah Jane Patterson, Susan Olivier, Violet Conway, Faith Harkness, and James Ashburrow belong to their collective creators and are used with permission. All other OCs are mine. Please do not sue my ass.**_

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><p><strong>Part One: Eye Candy For All<strong>

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><p><strong>An Alleyway: London: 2009, Day 4 of the 456 Incident<strong>

The man known as John Hart walked down a narrow side street, oddly underdressed. His normal red coat was gone, replaced with a faded grey t-shirt, torn jeans, and old trainers. It was clear that he did not want to stand out for once. As he walked, he mumbled quietly to himself.

"C'mon Eye Candy. Where are you? Shouldn't be that hard to track you down. And according to my calculations, you should be here by. . ."

He stopped as a short, well-dressed man appeared in the alleyway, carrying shopping bags. Ianto Jones walked quickly. Jack hated it when he was late, especially in those dark days.

John whistled. "Well, hello again."

Ianto pivoted, his green eyes narrowed. "And what do you want, then? In case you haven't heard, Jack's too busy to play right now."

John chuckled, leering at him. "Oh, Eye Candy. Still so very pretty but so very stupid. I'm not here for Jack."

He pulled out a strange looking gun and fired from the hip. Ianto crumpled, his eyes rolling back in his head, and lay still. John picked him up and tossed the young Welshman over one shoulder.

"Not directly, anyway."

* * *

><p><strong>An Old Warehouse, London: Same Day<strong>

Meanwhile, in an abandoned warehouse, Captain Jack Harkness was pacing. Ianto had been gone for an awfully long time, and he was beginning to worry that the agents who were on their tail had captured him.

Gwen Cooper watched him warily.

"I'm sure he's fine, Jack. This is Ianto we're talking about after all. He's very resourceful and smart. He's probably just holed up somewhere."

"Then he would have called," Jack snapped back. "He would have found a way to tell me."

He stopped pacing and looked at her, ice blue eyes glowing in determination.

"Something's happened. I'm going to find him."

Gwen sighed, glaring at him. "But what about Thames House? You have to put a stop to what's going on. You're the only one who can, Jack."

Jack shook his head in finality. "I can't lose him, Gwen. I can't lose anyone else."

Before she could stop him, Jack was out the door, nearly bowling Rhys over as he ran.

* * *

><p><strong>Abandoned Flats, London: Same Day<strong>

Mira Jamerson, time agent, smiled warmly at her companions. The time for retribution was nearly at hand. All they had to do now is find Hart, and he had agreed to go stand trial for the murders of their operatives.

Her smile cooled as the task proved harder than anticipated. "He said he'd meet us at this old abandoned set of flats. But I don't see him anywhere."

Suddenly, her vortex manipulator beeped. She pressed the play button, and a hologram of Hart appeared.

"I'm so sorry, luv, but I'm afraid capturing me isn't going to be so easy. See, here I was, going to turn myself in, and wouldn't you know I had to blunder into another crisis? Now, I can't just let you all take me. So here's the deal. You let me go, and I don't destroy the future. Seems pretty reasonable to me. See you around!"

He vanished and the transmission ended.

Mira glared angrily at the place his projection had been. "Forget the trial. When I catch that bastard, I'm gonna vivisect him."

Susan looked thoughtfully at Mira.

"Well, wasn't that fun girls? Our serial nut bunny has decided he wants to play hero. Take a note Superior Officer," she stressed sardonically, "when the nut bunnies promise you something, never, EVER believe them okay? Makes things so much easier when you remember that point."

Mira sighed. "You're right, of course. I can't believe I was so stupid that I. . ."

She paused, listening, her ear cocked towards the building.

"Anyone else hear. . . scraping?"

Susie didn't change stance but suddenly there was a watchfulness about her as she scanned the area.

"Stationary or mobile?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it's coming from this building."

Mira motioned for the others to follow her stealthily. As they entered the building, she recognized a familiar smell: fear, and a sort of citrusy residue.

"Something strange is going on here," she whispered.

Susie wrinkled her nose at the unfamiliar smell. She knew the smell of fear, but what was the other one? Some sort of sweet, lemony smell? She didn't know but it was oddly familiar, as if she should recognize it. And even more peculiar, it seemed somehow…comforting.

She coughed. "Okay, I don't know about you, but I'm thinking trap…yep…definitely trap." She sighed in exasperation as Mira and Violet continued towards the souce of the smell. "Which totally explains why we're still heading in this direction. Completely natural under the circumstances."

Mira looked over her shoulder, nodding. "I agree it's a trap. But I don't think it's for us. I think it's for. . ."

She was shocked into silence as she opened a door to find a rather handsome young man tied to a bed.

"Ok, maybe it is for us."

Susie stalked over to the bed and stared down at the young man. His eyes were focused and alert but there was no other sign that he was alive. She leaned down until her mouth was almost touching his and stared into his eyes. After a moment she straightened up and turned to the others.

"Paralyzing gloss. Only minutes left to judge by the dilation of his pupils. So, take him with us? Or leave him here for whoever he's intended for? Cause as yummy as he is, I don't think the nut bunny intended us to find him. I could be wrong though."

Mira smirked. "Hmm. . . you have a point there. But the least we can do is get the toxin out of his system."

She pulled out a med kit and injected some anti-venom into the young man's arm. It didn't take long for it to kick in. In minutes, the young man was struggling against the ropes.

"Who are you?" asked Ianto angrily. "Where am I? What did John do to me?"

Mira smiled warmly at him, her violet eyes glittering flirtatiously. "It's ok. You're safe. Well, sorta. I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure someone's coming to find you. You'll be ok."

Still delusional from the poison, he smiled weakly at her. "I have to ask. Are you an angel?"

Susie looked at Mira in shocked amusement. Violet sighed.

"Wow, he really IS out of it isn't he?" crowed Susie, slapping Mira on the back.

Mira ignored her jab and smiled down at the young man. "Do you want me to be?"

He nodded slightly before losing consciousness. Mira looked over at Susie.

"We should probably get out of here. We have to catch Hart at any cost."

Susie nodded. "You're right. I'm guessing our friendly serial is probably halfway across the timestream by now, 'saving the future' or whatever the hell he thinks he's doing. Mira, you know he's not gonna make it to trial don't you?"

She sighed. "I know. And I know better than anyone. Because this time, when I catch him, the General can't stop me. I'll make him pay. For my brother. For Chase. For everyone we lost."

They teleported out, following John's residue beam.

Meanwhile, Jack finally made his way to the abandoned flats, following the gps chip he had installed in Ianto's neck a few weeks before. He rushed to the bed, untying the woozy operative and dragging him outside.

"Ianto! Are you ok?"

Ianto groaned groggily. "Jack? Oh, thank God."

They embraced, Ianto gasping slightly as Jack's lips found his neck.

Suddenly, Ianto tensed, pulling away. "But what about your meeting? Thames House?"

"I don't know. We'll have to get back to the warehouse and see."


	2. COTD: A Fractured Future

**City of the Damned - Part Two: A Fractured Future**

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><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff: June 6, 2011<strong>

Captain Jack Harkness was not having a good day. Gwen had finally been released from suicide watch for the fifth time, and he'd had to insist that she stay home and get some rest. When last he saw her, she was a mess and a half. He had sent the new guy to watch her for him with remote surveillance, but he knew Gwen would kill him if she found out.

Ianto Jones, acting medic, walked into the office with a cup of coffee. Jack came over to him, smiling flirtatiously.

"You know, we have someone else to do that now. But thank you."

Ianto glared at him angrily. "Who says it's for you?"

He took a swig from the mug and set it on the counter, not even bothering to put a coaster under it.

Jack frowned. "Ok, I should have seen that coming. What? Are you still not talking to me?"

Ianto's eyes darkened even further. "Not talking to you? I've never stopped talking to you! You just never listen!"

"Oh really? Why would I when all you have to say is how much you hate me?"

"I don't hate you, Jack. I hate what you did."

Jack's eyes went wide. "I saved your life!" he cried. He couldn't believe this.

Ianto shook his head. "But at what cost? My family's been torn apart because of you! My sister won't even look at me now."

Jack sighed. "Would you rather be dead?"

Ianto stared at him, tears forming in his eyes as he thought about his sister's children, sacrificed to appease the 456. "Maybe I would, actually! Why? Does that make you upset?"

Jack also teared up at his former lover's distress. "You know it does. Ianto, why can't you just –"

Ianto slapped him hard across the left cheek. "Just what? Just pretend none of it happened? Go back to the way things were before? Easy for you to say. You didn't lose ANYTHING! No, Jack. I can't. I can't."

"I didn't lose anything?" Jack snarled. "How can you say that? Gwen –"

"Yes. Gwen lost her baby. Rhys walked out on her. I lost my niece and nephew. All you lost was our respect."

Jack sighed. "Ianto, I–"

He went to hug the devastated Welshman, but Ianto shoved him away.

"No! Don't touch me! You reek of death, Jack."

He ran out the door. Jack stared after him, his face unreadable.

"He'll come back," he mumbled to himself. "He always does. He'll come back, and we'll make up, and everything will make sense again."

Faith Harkness, now Jack's ward, walked in. She had been there since her guardian arrived, but was off in another room of the warehouse. At first she smiled up at the man, but seeing the look on his face made her hesitate slightly before deciding to be chipper anyway.

"Hi, Jack!"

Jack's eyes darted to her in surprise. "Oh. Hi Faith."

He smiled at her, hoping she didn't notice how tired he looked.

"Any new rift activity I should be aware of?"

Faith couldn't help but see the exhaustion in his smile. She knew he hadn't been sleeping well, but didn't mention it. A small frown built in between her eyes.

"Actually, it is surprisingly quiet."

Jack groaned. "Why doesn't that strike me as comforting?"

Faith shrugged. "It doesn't comfort me either."

She rubbed her temples. Just thinking about the lack of activity brought a headache on.

_Bored._

Jack sighed. He couldn't stand to watch his team suffer like this. Especially Faith. It seemed like she was getting dragged into things more and more ever since he'd legally adopted her.

He pulled her into a tight hug.

"Everything's going to be ok, kiddo. I promise. We'll get through this. Even if it's just you and me, we'll get through this."

Faith hugged him back, rolling her eyes at the last comment.

"You and I both know that we would hate ourselves for all eternity if that happened, Dad."

He smiled slightly. "And since when have you called me dad?"

He patted her on the head.

"Well, since it's so quiet, do you want to go visit Gwen? She won't let me near her, but I'm sure she misses you."

Faith thought for a moment. "Yeah. I think that would be a good idea."

Jack nodded, handing her a bus pass. "Now remember, Faith. Just because the rift is being quiet doesn't mean …"

"Doesn't mean that it will stay that way," she finished, nodding.

"Let me know if anything goes wrong. Have a safe trip. And tell her. . ."

He paused, thinking.

"Just tell her. . . oh, she knows."

* * *

><p><strong>Gwen's Flat, Cardiff: Later That Day<strong>

Gwen Cooper was lying in bed, her expression blank. She had no tears left to cry. Her whole body ached. And all she wanted was to sleep and sleep and never wake up.

She was suddenly roused from her melancholy by a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" she croaked.

A young girl's voice answered, muffled by the door. "It's me, Gwen. Faith. Can I come in?"

Gwen sighed. "Is Jack with you?"

"No, I came alone."

Gwen got up with a groan. "Ok. Then I'll let you in."

She threw on a bathrobe and opened the door, smiling weakly at the young girl.

"Hi, Faith."

Faith, seeing the weakness of the older woman's smile and her disheveled state, felt her heart clench. She returned the smile brightly, hoping it was not too obvious that it was forced.

"Hi! I'm so glad to see you!"

"It's good to see you too. Can I offer you some tea or something? It's a long bus ride to get here."

Faith smiled, the smile a tad bit truer than before. "Thanks for the offer, but I can't eat."

Gwen rubbed her eyes. She could kick herself. "Right. I forgot. You're dead."

She smiled sadly to herself. "Why is everyone dead but the people who want to be?"

Faith's smile completely fell off her face. This was not where she wanted to go with this visit.

She rested a hand on Gwen's arm. Gwen pulled the girl into a tight hug, sobbing suddenly into the top of her head.

"I'm. . . I'm sorry I. . . Oh, Faith! Why is everything so dark?"

Faith looked up at the woman, frowning at her word choice. "Dark?"

Gwen dropped her arms and stared off into space. "Yes. Dark. And silent. So many voices that should be here are snuffed out. I know you feel it too, Faith. Because we couldn't stop it. Because Jack wouldn't stop it. And I don't know if I can look him in the eye any more."

Faith nodded. "This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Something happened."

She lowered her head. If she could cry, she would.

"Gwen, I know it's hard…and I do feel it. I may be dead, but that doesn't mean that death doesn't bother me anymore."

Gwen stared down at the girl, suddenly seeming so innocent and small. "Will you. . . will you just sit with me for a while? I'm scared to be alone right now."

Faith looked up and wrapped her arms around the older woman. "Of course."

They sat in silence for a while.

Finally, Gwen asked the question she'd been avoiding for months.

"How. . . how is he?"

Faith squirmed. "Jack? Um…Beating himself up."

Gwen smiled. "Grown a conscience, has he? Good for him. But is he eating? What's he look like? Is he ok?"

Faith sighed. "He's always had a conscience, Gwen. No, he hasn't been eating. He's, honestly, a mess. And Ianto isn't helping at all."

Gwen looked up in shock. "Why? What's wrong with Ianto? Is he in danger?"

She shook her head. "No. He and Jack have been very…on edge of late. Conversations are super tense and usually end with someone storming away. Honestly, all of Torchwood is falling apart."

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff: June 6, 2011<strong>

Sarah Jane Patterson, Torchwood secretary, walked in, noticing Jack was alone this morning.

"Morning, Jack… Sorry if I'm late. Still trying to get used to this, and I got a little lost…"

She smiled up at him, wondering what was wrong.

"Oh! Good morning. . ." He looked at his watch. It was actually mid-afternoon. "Yeah. We're a little short-staffed today. Do you think you could whip up some coffee?"

She nodded, turning to go do just that. "Hmm… let's see… Hey… it's still warm, odd. I guess someone wanted coffee earlier. I need to get here earlier tomorrow."

She started the machine, seeing what else needed to be done till it finished. When it was brewed, she took Jack some. Not quite sure how he drank it, she took a small tray with sugar and milk on it too.

"Here you go, Jack… I guess I should have gotten here earlier, hmm?"

Jack sighed. "No, it's probably good that you didn't. The morning was rather. . . violent's not quite the right word. Explosive?"

He took a sip of coffee, coughing slightly.

_Horse pee tastes better than this!_

He smiled at he weakly. "Um, it's good. Yep."

Sarah rolled her eyes at him, slightly amused. "I'm betting the person before me made pretty damn good coffee, you can be honest with me, it's bad, right?"

He nodded, smiling apologetically. "I'm sure it just takes practice."

Suddenly, an alarm went off.

Jack's eyes went wide. "What the. . ."

He ran to the computer, staring at the screen in dismay. "Well, damn. I knew that quiet spell wasn't going to last."

Sarah followed him over, curious and worried. "What's going on? What do I need to do?"

Jack pointed to the screen. There was a red halo around a familiar set of flats.

"Rift activity at Gwen's place," he said hastily, throwing on his coat. "I'd better alert Faith. Sarah, grab a gun. You're coming with me."

Sarah Jane sighed. She didn't really like guns, but she didn't have much of a choice right now. She walked over to the armory and chose a small pistol, figuring she could handle something that small.


	3. COTD: MechasaurusThe Tango Time Agent

**City of the Damned- Part Three: Mechasaurus Rex**

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><p><strong>Gwen's Flat, Cardiff: Same Day<strong>

As Gwen tried to respond, Faith's earpiece started beeping.

"Excuse me," she muttered, tapping the earpiece. "Harkness."

Jack's voice sounded strained. "Hey Harkness. Other Harkness here. There's some major rift activity coming your way. Sarah Jane and I are in transit, but you need to be careful."

Gwen stared at the girl in concern. "Faith? What's going on?"

"Rift activity headed this way."

"Gotcha." She headed for the bedroom and grabbed her guns.

When she returned, she tossed one to the girl. "Ok. Now be careful, Faith. You know the drill."

Faith nodded.

The roof suddenly was ripped off the building as if by a massive wind. They looked up to see a very large dinosaur glaring down at them.

Gwen sighed. "Dinosaurs. Again?"

Faith rolled her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me."

Gwen pulled the girl back. "Faith, stay behind me. It looks hungry."

She began shooting at the dinosaur, but it appeared completely unfazed.

"Hungry for fire, you mean!" cried Jack as he and Sarah Jane dashed through the door.

Jack was armed with a massive flamethrower, and began spraying the beast with liquid flame.

Faith moved slightly behind Gwen, as asked. Keeping her eyes on the Dinosaur…she noticed something is horribly wrong…and not just because of what time period the Dinosaur was in.

Sarah Jane stared up at the huge creature, then down at her pistol. "Well, this isn't going to do much good…" She took aim anyway.

Jack's flame attack continued. "Die, you ugly lizard!" he screamed.

As the dinosaur began to become slightly crispy, Gwen noticed something odd as well.

"Jack?"

"Little busy here, Gwen," he muttered in annoyance.

"But Jack!" she cried, "Doesn't it seem a little. . . metallic to you?"

Sarah stopped firing and glanced over, then back at the dinosaur… "It…. it DOES look metallic, what the hell?"

"Shit! It's a robot!" exclaimed Jack

Faith looked harder at the beast. Why a robotic dinosaur?

Jack turned to Gwen. "How's the water pressure in here?"

She stared at him in confusion. "Uh. . . It's pretty decent. Why?"

He ran to the sink, grabbed the sprayer, and hooked it up to his gun. "And that should do it. Gotta love this technology. Stand back!"

He used the converted water cannon to spray down the robot. Sparks flew as it began to smoke and wobble. With a final cry, it toppled on the apartment.

Jack grabbed Gwen and ran for the door. "Sarah! Faith! Hurry up!"

Faith grabbed Sarah's hand and dashed out of the house.

Sarah laughed in slight shock. "Just… a robot... who would do something like that?"

Faith shook her head. "No idea."

She frowned to herself. Why Gwen's apartment? Why would it open there?

Once they were all clear, Jack laughed for the first time in months. "That was so. . . I don't know what the hell that was."

Gwen laughed too, just out of the sheer relief of being alive. They looked at each other, suddenly getting quiet.

Jack smiled sadly. "I'm –"

Gwen coughed. "I'm sorry, Jack. I really am. But. . ."

He sighed. "I was just going to apologize for destroying your flat, but that's ok I guess."

He walked over to Faith. "Why does everyone assume I'm trying to make them forget what happened? if I wanted that, I'd just retcon you lot."

Sarah snorted, remembering something. "Well, it wouldn't work on me, so you'd have to think of something different…"

She looked over the wreckage, shaking her head.

Faith lifted an eyebrow at Jack. "Why are you asking me?"

He stared at her in hurt. She sighed, touching his arm gently.

"I'm sorry. That was a stupid question. They, well, all of us are still suffering from what happened, Jack. They are being human."

As soon as Jack mentioned it, Gwen realized that her flat was gone. Completely gone.

"Fuck. Now where the hell am I supposed to live?"

She looked around. Sarah lived in a tiny apartment. There was no room there. Faith lived with. . .

"Oh, hell no. I'm moving into the warehouse."

Faith looked at Gwen, amused, with a slight smile on her lips. Then she turned to Jack.

"We should go back."

Sarah frowned, and walked over to Gwen. "I'm sorry. I wish my place were bigger… I know the warehouse is the last place you want to be. Oh hey, I know, I could stay there, and you could take my place for a bit?"

She tried to smile at the other woman, wishing she could help her more.

Gwen smiled back warmly. "That's ok. It's about time I come back to work anyway. I can't just sit around moping all the time, now can I? Or, I suppose, if I'm going to, I might as well be doing it with you people."

She turned to Jack. "Time and space, Jack. That's all I need."

He nodded. "I know the feeling."

He looked around. "Well, can't see that you have much packing to do. How about we take you back to base?"

Gwen sighed. Sarah grinned, nodding.

"Good to have you back, Gwen."

Faith smiled too, for once actually looking like the twelve year old she appeared to be, and not someone much, much older.

* * *

><p><strong>Part Four: The Tango Time Agent<strong>

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><p><strong>A Nightclub, Cardiff: Evening of June 6, 2011<strong>

As Susie and Mira teleported into the club, a press of people forced the two Time Agents apart. Mira elobowed her way to the bar, hoping to get a vantage point over the crowd.

"Damn, but there's a lot of people here."

As she turned to look around, she bumped into a familiar figure. He cried out in alarm and spilled his drink all over her.

"Oh, God," croaked Ianto. "I am so sorry!"

Mira rolled her eyes, trying to hide her annoyance. "No, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

He stared at her, eyes glazed with alcohol. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

She smiled, trying to think of a good lie.

She was not fast enough. His eyes went wide in recognition. "No! It's you! The one from the flats! I didn't know you were from around here."

Mira shook her head. "I'm not. Just looking for a friend."

He drunkenly tapped on the bar. "Least I can do is buy you a drink. What's your name, anyway?"

Mira thought about what alias to use before settling on her real first name.

_No one calls me that anyway._

"Heather," she replied.

"One scotch on the rocks for Heather, please."

She stared at him in amazement. It was her very favorite drink. "How did you. . ."

He smiled warmly at her. "Oh, I'm good with that sort of thing."

As the two of them continued to talk, neither noticed their mutual enemy John Hart slinking through the crowd. But he noticed them. And Susie.

"Oh, look," he mused. "There's one all by herself."

He walked over to her. "Care for a dance, Time Agent?"

Susan looked him over in amusement. She didn't appear surprised that he recognized her.

"Oh I do believe we already are, nut bunny. Question is, are you leading the dance?"

* * *

><p>Mira was now several drinks in, but she was still far behind her acquaintance.<p>

"So, what were you doing in that hovel anyway?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Ianto sighed. "It's a long story. And it never would have happened if it weren't for that selfish, arrogant bastard."

Mira's eyes widened. "You mean John Hart?"

He scoffed. "No. My ex. I doubt you know him. But that's all over now."

Mira looked at him questioningly. "So, he got you into trouble, you broke up, and now you're marinating in vodka and other people's sweat? That's harsh, my friend."

* * *

><p>Hart smirked at the Australian. "Oh, wouldn't you like to know?"<p>

He grabbed her arms. "Ooh. A fast song. Seems to be matching your heartbeat, Aussie."

She leaned forward and kissed him on the nose. "Well, as cheesy pick up lines go… that was crap." She leaned back and tilted her head up at him, smiling cheekily. "You gotta be better than that to turn this girl's head!"

Then, without effort she broke free from his grip, grabbed his hand and dragged him onto the dancefloor where she proceeded to dance with him, if dance was the right word.

* * *

><p>Ianto threw a drunken arm around Mira's shoulder. "So we're friends then? Friends. I don't have many of those left these days. Everyone's gone."<p>

She threw his arm off, giggling. "You, my good man, are drunk."

"And you're not drunk enough."

Mira stared at the young Welshman, laughing in surprise. "Why, I do believe you're trying to get me pissed, sir! And then what's the plan?"

Ianto smirked lasciviously. "I don't know, Heather. Why don't you tell me?"

She chuckled. "Oh, how very cheeky. But I don't even know your name."

"Ianto Jones. Jack of all trades. All around upstanding citizen. Miserable drunk."

* * *

><p>Hart smirked. "My my. Seems not everyone in the Time Agency has it in for me. Or is this a. . . oh, how cute. A trap."<p>

He leaned in close and grabbed her from behind, whispering into her ear. She squirmed as his breath tickled the hairs on her neck.

"Now, then. We can do this the hard way or the fun way. Actually, never mind. Both ways are fun. And by the way, yes, that is actually a particle gun."

Susie stretched her arms up and around the back of Hart's head, still dancing in front of him

"Well that's a relief. I'd hate to have to lie about its size, mate."

She turned in his arms, drawing herself into his body so that the gun was completely hidden from view. Her arms, still around his neck, drew his head down until his ear was right next to her lips.

"Now honey, that's no way to treat a lady! And if you kill me now, you'll never find it, will you?"

* * *

><p>Mira leaned over and kissed Ianto on the cheek, whispering in his ear. "Now, come on. Cheer up, Ianto. I'm here, aren't I?"<p>

He stares at her, his face unreadable. "Yes. Yes you are."

She was pulling away when he suddenly leaned forward and kissed her sloppily on the lips. Mira was surprised, but not displeased. She couldn't imagine what could get a man who seemed so kindhearted so bitter, but she wanted it to stop, no matter what. . .

"Mmmgh!" she protested.

He pulled back. "Sorry, what?"

"I'm not sure this is the pla. . ."

He grabbed her hand and headed for the door.

She followed in surprise. "O-ok. . . that works."

* * *

><p>Hart froze. "And what exactly do you think I'm trying to find, luv?"<p>

It was Susie's turn to smirk. "Oh you're not looking for it yet mate, but soon. Soon you will be. And wouldn't you hate to find out you'd killed the only person who could help you? Of course you could return and find me before I die but I'm thinking that won't help you a whole hell of a lot. Choice is yours however."

Hart cooed softly at her. "Oh,. I do love it when you people play dirty."

He gently nipped at her neck. "Now. What is it you're going to help me find?"

Susie leaned back in and returned the favour, biting Hart's ear hard enough to taste blood. He flinched, then groaned quietly into her neck as she licked the wound clean. Susie turned her head until their foreheads were pressed together, their lips barely touching. She looked deep into his eyes, and then yanked herself backwards out of his embrace as he realized what she had just done.

"Why, I'm gonna help you find the antidote, mate!"

She grabbed her wrist and teleported away before he had time to react. The last thing he heard was her chuckling at the expression on his face. The last thing he saw was the strap of a vortex manipulator dangling from her fingers. He looked in horror at his wrist.

"Oh you miserable. . ."

He crumpled to the floor.


	4. COTD: The Morning After

**City of the Damned: The Morning After**

* * *

><p><strong>Ianto Jones' Flat, Cardiff: June 7, 2011<strong>

Mira woke up groaning. Her head felt like it had been used as a punching bag by a very angry puma. She was used to waking up in unfamiliar bedrooms, but not so used to the smell of breakfast emanating from a nearby room. She smiled to herself.

"Awfully nice for a one night stand, this one," she mused out loud.

As if hearing her voice, Ianto walked in, a kind smile on his face. He handed her a cup of coffee, sweet with hazelnut cream.

"Good morning, cariad," he said softly, trying not to worsen her hangover. "Thought you might need a pick-me-up."

Mira beamed at him. No one had ever been so attractive as he was at that moment. "Oh God, you are a lifesaver."

She took a sip, her toes curling as the warm deliciousness flooded her mouth. "Mmm! I think you've ruined me," she said, a contented smile plastered on her face. "I may never drink normal coffee again."

Ianto laughed. "I get that a lot. Hang on, I need to check the eggs."

He left her alone with her coffee and her thoughts.

A few minutes later, he came back with a tray laden with all kinds of breakfast foods, including, Mira noted to her surprise, fresh-baked croissants.

She stared at him in awe. "You did all this? Well you are a rare one, aren't you?"

Ianto blushed slightly. "I just have a lot of talents is all."

Mira smiled lasciviously, stretching. "Perhaps later you could show me a few of them."

After they ate breakfast, Ianto suddenly grabbed Mira's left hand, enveloping it in his own.

"Now that you're awake," he said, staring deeply into her violet eyes, "I need to tell you something. It might come as a bit of a shock. I know it was for me when I woke up."

Mira stared at him in confusion.

_What could possibly be so upsetting that. . . _

He let go of her hand, and she realized in shock and more than a little horror that there was a simple gold band on her ring finger.

"Wuh. . .wuh. . . WUH?" she managed.

He grinned apologetically, flashing her his own matching band.

Mira stared at him.

"How drunk WERE we last night?"

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Star Galleon,<em> in Orbit: Same day**

John Hart opened his eyes slowly, his head throbbing. He felt like he'd been run over by a bus. He looked around groggily, seeing nothing but wooden planks and crates. As he tried to get up, he realized that he'd been handcuffed to the deck.

"Hey!" he called angrily. "Where am I? Hey!"

Susie stood behind him, out of reach of his arms, and legs. Hart was handcuffed in such a way that he couldn't turn enough to see her and was forced to talk to air.

"Morning lover," she crooned in a voice like poisoned honey. "Was it as good for you as it was for me? 'cause I gotta tell you, that was definitely one of my better experiences."

Hart could hear the amusement in her voice, but she hadn't moved from behind him. He couldn't hear any movement either, just a voice.

"I should probably remain calm if I were you mate," she continued with a sly chuckle. "My gift doesn't like stimulation too much and tends to react badly – like most women really."

In spite of her warning, Hart snarled and thrashed.

"What the fuck did you do to me, Aussie?" he cried. "I'm gonna —"

He barely suppressed a moan of pain as he felt sharp electric shocks coursing through his body. His head felt like it was going to explode.

He suddenly heard the sound of slow clapping behind him.

"Congratulations mate! You've just found out what happens when you ignore my advice!" Susie sighed wearily. "Listen carefully cause I ain't gonna say this again. My gift reacts to heightened Emotional states by short circuiting the nerve endings and causing your body to react as in pain. Oh, and it also fries your brain cells at the same time! Happy Birthday!"

Hart snarled at her. "You bitch. What did I ever do to. . . right. Bad question. Still, I thought you people were all about the high road and all that. What changed?"

"You people?" she asked, confused for a moment. "Oh right, you mean the Agency. Well, I think you pretty much answered your second question with the first one mate… you changed. At least, you blew up all the high roaders, 'cept maybe the dude from hell."

He sighed. "I'll have you know that was in self defense. The bastards you work for, they were going to cut on me. I had to look out for this sculpted frame, you know."

Susie gasped in mock horror. "Of course it was mate! You would have never killed all those guys otherwise!" She snorted in derision. :Puhlease bunny, shovel that crap in another direction will ya, it's making me nauseous!:

He rolled his eyes. "Do I really look like a mass murderer to you? Don't you realize that's what they want you to think? Did you ever stop to ask why I did what I did? Or why they want you to capture Jack as well, when he had nothing to do with this?"

He smiled as her eyes widened slightly. "You don't know, do you? What you were doing a year ago. Two years ago. You're just like the rest of them. Blind soldiers who jump when they say jump."

Susie walked around to stand in front of Hart, eyes narrowed as she searched his eyes. "What are you talking about? Last year I joined the Time Agency. before that I was doing… something else."

He smiled sadly at her, his eyes flashing with triumph. "Agent Susan Olivier. Time Academy Class of 5092. Graduated top of her class. Notorious for her wry humor, fiery personality, and long, passionate relationship with an upperclassman. Agent for, let's see. . . three years now. And you have no idea why I know you."

Susie slowly relaxed her stance, a cheeky grin making its way across her face. She reached forward and pinched his cheek, hard. "You know mate, you're pretty cute. Stupid, but cute! It's nice to know I haven't lost my touch!"

Hart bit at her fingers as they retreated. "Maybe not your touch, no, but your sanity. . . I'm not so sure about that. Now can you please untie me or at least make my damned head stop SHOCKING me?"

"Well, I guess that makes two of us then!" she crooned. "And unfortunately for you, I have no intention of doing the former, and nothing short of the antidote – or you controlling your emotions – is gonna fix the latter. Since I don't actually have the antidote on me right now…well, lets see how good you are at learning new things huh?"

He scowled at her. "I don't like taking orders, luv. Now what is it you expect me to learn?"

Susie sighed. "Well…no, you're right, you ain't gonna learn are you? Ah well." She pulled out her gun and aimed it at his head. "Let me fix the pain."

He thrashed, crying out in pain as his neurons fired at random. "Wait! Stop! Please! You crazy bitch! Ok, I'll do anything you say! Just don't kill me! Please!"

Susie rolled her eyes. "God you're such a baby aren't you? You know I can't let you live. Not if I want those around me to live as well anyway. And I can't believe a word you say so…Goodbye!"

She pulled the trigger.

Hart managed to shift himself enough to get the cuffs lose and rolled to the deck just in time. "What the hell is your problem?" he shrieked. "Stop shooting at me! I'll be good."

Susie didn't answer, just continued to fire at John as he ducked and dodged and eventually hid behind one of the crates. Suzie cursed as her gun ran out of bullets and she had to pause to reload.

Hart rushed her, pinning her to the ground. He chuckled. "That's better. I always did prefer to be on top."

He snatched her vortex manipulator and recovered his own. Then he removed his belt, using it to tie her to an iron ring on the wall. He smiled sweetly and waved at her.

"Well, it's been fun. Until next time, Aussie."

He vanished.

Susie banged her head against the wall behind her a few times, cursing multilingually. After one last hard thud she leaned against the wall breathing heavily. Then she slowly began to smile

"Wonder how long it'll take him to realize he's been chipped," she mused.

She quickly released her arms from the belt, then, whistling to herself, made her way to the storeroom for another vortex manipulator.

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff: Same Day<strong>

Gwen Cooper woke groggily to find a familiar face inches from her own.

"GAHHH!"

Ianto smiled warmly at her. "Sorry for startling you. It's just, you're sleeping on the gurney, and I need it."

Faith walked into the warehouse, but didn't see anyone.

"Gwen? Anybody here?"

Gwen hastily dismounted the gurney. "Sorry, Ianto. Just don't do that again, ok?"

"No problem," he chuckled, green eyes bright.

She smiled to herself. It was the cheeriest the Welshman had looked in months.

Ianto turned, hearing Faith's voice.

"We're in the med bay, Faith!" he called.

Faith walked over, smiling gently. "Good morning, Ianto, Gwen."

Ianto beamed at the girl. "And a good morning to you, Faith!"

Gwen nodded. "Morning, dear! Any leads on the mechasaurus yet?"

Faith sighed. "Not really, no."

Faith walked back to her desk, trying to see if she could find some lead on what was going on.

Ianto frowned at Gwen. "Mechasaurus? You mean, a robot dinosaur?"

Gwen smirked. "Yeah. Destroyed my flat yesterday. Sorry you missed it."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Well, at least that explains why you're sleeping in the med bay, then. Do you want me to make you a proper bed?"

Gwen nodded, smiling warmly at him. "That would be lovely. But don't you have anything better to do?"

He smiled back kindly. "No trouble. Really. It's the least I can do."

Jack swept into the main room, looking about in exasperation. "Hello? Where is everyone? You people do realize we have a job to do, yes?"

Faith poked her head over where Gwen and Ianto were. "Um. Jack's here too, just so you know."

Her face screamed _please be civil_.

They looked at each other, panic on both of their faces. This faded to a synchronized confusion, asking each other _and what are you so worried about?_ with their eyes.

Jack bounded through the door, stopping short when he saw Ianto there. "Oh. Good morning."

Ianto nodded. "Good morning, sir."

"We could have used you yesterday. We were almost killed by –"

"A robot dinosaur?" finished Ianto.

Jack looked at him in shock.

He smiled. "Gwen told me."

Faith was peeking from around the corner, hoping that a full out argument didn't break out.

Jack turned to Gwen. "Did you sleep ok? I know that Torchwood isn't the best place to catch a good night's sleep."

Gwen sighed, annoyed with his concern. "I'm fine, Jack. We should really get back to the issue at hand."

"I agree," he said, turning to Ianto, his eyes bright with emotion.

"What you said yesterday. You're right, you know. I've been a horrible leader, a selfish bastard, and overall not someone worthy of your respect. I could have done more to stop the 456. I should have done more. And the fact that I didn't just proves one thing: that I don't give a damn what you think of me. All that matters to me is that you're safe. I know you can't forgive me for what happened. But I could never forgive myself if you had died."

"Jack, I –"

Jack shook his head. "No. You don't have to say anything. It's better if you don't. I just wanted to tell you that you may not have any respect left for me. But I have nothing but respect for you. I believe in us, and I hope that someday you will again too."

Ianto coughed. "Jack, I'm married."

Everyone stared at him in shock.

"What?" exclaimed Jack. He was not expecting this.

Faith's eyes widened in shock.

Great….looks like a fight might break out after all…

"How can you be married?" asked Jack, confused.

Ianto smiled sheepishly. "Well, I was cross with you, and I had a bit to drink. . ."

"How much is a bit?"

"A lot. Enough that I woke up in bed with a beautiful girl and a matching set of wedding bands."

He lifted his hand to show Jack.

Jack sighed in relief. "Then you don't know if it's legal or not. I mean, you could get a divorce or –"

"What if I don't want to?" Ianto barked, glaring at him.

Jack stares at the Welshman in dismay.

Gwen coughed, walking over to Faith and listening with her at the doorframe. Privacy was one thing, but this was too interesting to miss. Faith looked up at Gwen and then back at the scene before them.

Jack rolled his eyes. "You can't be serious. Listen to yourself! You just met this girl in a bar, right? How on earth would that seem like a good idea?"

Ianto shook his head, adamant. "You don't understand. I've met Heather before. In London."

"London. When?"

_And why does that name seem so familiar. . .?_

Ianto smiled, remembering her as he had seen her then. An angel. "She saved my life the day Hart kidnapped me. Before you came. He'd poisoned me like he did to Gwen that time we met him. She brought me the antidote. Then left me there for you."

Jack stared at him in amazement. "But Ianto, what if she was conspiring with him?"

"I don't care," he replied curtly. "Besides, you can ask her yourself. She's meeting me for lunch."

Jack gulped. "Are you out of your mind? You're bringing her here?"

Ianto glared at him. "You never had a problem bringing your girlfriends here."

He glanced towards the door where Gwen was lurking. She hissed to herself.

"NOT. His. Girlfriend."

Jack clenched his fists. "That's different and you know it. Let's be honest here, Ianto. I don't exactly trust your taste in women. Last time you brought a girl here, she tried to kill us all and turn us into cybermen, remember?"

"Oh, great." mused Mira from the doorway. "Well, that explains a lot."

Faith jumped at the new voice, one she had never heard before…but it sounded so…familiar.

Ianto turned and smiled at the newcomer. "Hello, cariad. You're early."

Jack spun and looked at her, eyes wide in shock. "You married her?"

Her look mirrored his as she recognized him. "You work for him?"

Jack smirked. "I'd like to think it was a little more than that."

Mira glared at Ianto. "And he's your ex? God, how did I get roped into this? So what is it with you and Time Agents?"

Ianto stared at her. "You're a Time Agent? Makes sense, I suppose. But really?"

"This little bitch of yours cut my head off!" bellowed Jack

Ianto smacked him. "Jack, don't you dare call my wife a bitch!"

Faith ran out from the corner she'd been watching from. "Stop! Um… that was uncalled for, Jack."

She turned to Mira. "Welcome, Time Agent. Can I get you something?"

Mira smirked. "Maybe some popcorn? I think this is going to be fun to watch."

As they argued, the two men circled each other.

"It's great to see how quickly you can just move on to the next 51st century piece of ass that tumbles into view," Jack spat.

"You know," hissed Ianto in reply, "I actually believed you when you said you had respect for me. Guess I was right to stop trusting you."

"What part of she tried to kill me doesn't make sense to you?"

"But you can't die!"

"Well SHE didn't know that!"

"But you're not dead. And neither am I. Isn't that all you wanted?"

"I wanted you!" Jack bellowed, his eyes welling with tears.

Ianto stood still, sighing. "And how many times do you think I'll have to hear that before I believe you? Come off it, Jack. We both know why you came on to me. And it wasn't really about me at all. It was about you and your mighty bruised ego. So back off!"

Faith, getting tired of the fighting, stormed over to Jack and stomped on his foot as hard as she could.

"Knock it off, dad!"

Mira smiled at the young girl as she slapped Ianto across the face. "You know it's bad when the nine year old's more grown up than you are."

"But she's not really –" protested Jack

"I don't care. Now I have plans to go out for lunch with some of my husband's friends. If you don't want to come, Jack, that's up to you. But I'm buying. And there will be a lot of meat."

Gwen reappeared in the doorway. "And where are we going, then?"

Jack sighed. "Fine. I'm sorry, Ianto. I've been an ass. I promise not to shoot your wife."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "That's not much of an apology, but it's a start, and definitely progress for you, Jack."

He turned to Mira. "Let's go then, Heather."

"Sounds like fun," mused Faith.

As they left the warehouse, no one noticed the computer starting to beep. The screen flashed _WARNING: RIFT UNSTABLE_. But no one was there to get the warning.


	5. COTD: The Beginning of the End

**The Beginning Of The End**

* * *

><p><strong>Jubilee Pizza, Cardiff<strong>

The Torchwood team plus Mira were sitting around one of the bigger tables outside the pizza parlor. Massive quantities of partially-eaten pizza surrounded them, as they were about halfway through their meal. Jack gave Faith an empty water bottle so she could pretend to be drinking. He didn't trust the time agent with the truth of her situation. It was better for everyone if Mira didn't ask any questions.

The agent in question wass gnawing hungrily on a massive slice of Carnivore's Feast. She didn't even stop eating to talk.

"So, Ianto, Jack," she garbled through the food in her mouth, "how did you two meet anyway? I mean, Obviously you've been working together for years."

Ianto smiled at her, though his eyes twitched at her terrible table manners. "Jack here was getting himself gnawed on by a Weevil. I rescued him."

Jack rolled his eyes. "That's not how I remember it. I had that thing perfectly under control."

Ianto chuckled. "If your definition of under control is being used as a chew toy, then fine. Ok."

"What about that pterodactyl of yours?" argued Jack, clearly annoyed. "I managed to handle that all right."

"Jack, Myfanwy tried to eat you too." He paused, musing. "Come to think of it, just about everything we've met has tried to eat you."

"And that's just the way I like it."

The men laughed in unison.

Ianto's face suddenly went dark. "Seriously, though. If you weren't immortal, you'd be in something's stomach long before now."

Jack shook his head, a look of displeasure on his face. "Ugh. No, remember that giant pus monster a few years ago? Being digested is a very painful way to die."

As the men bantered, Mira leaned over to Faith.

"It's truly amazing what pizza can cure, eh Faith?"

Faith smiled at the time agent. Of course, she hadn't eaten any pizza, but the time agent didn't need to know that. "It certainly is. Thank you for bringing us here."

Just then, there was a low rumble. A vortex opened above the table, and John Hart crashed down on it, scattering pizza everywhere. Immediately, all guns were trained on him.

Hart groaned in dismay. "Of all the places to spill out, it had to be with you lot."

Jack grabbed him by the collar and pulled him off the table. "Spectacular. And it was such a great day before now, too."

Hart smiled cheekily at him. "Well, lover, it's nice to see you too."

Mira stared at the men in surprise. "Really, Jack? Is there anyone you won't sleep with?"

Gwen shakily raised a hand. Jack coughed awkwardly.

Faith glared at the intruder. She had never particularly liked Hart.

"Hello again, Hart," she said, trying desperately to be polite. "How are you today?"

He chuckled. "Let's see. I was shot at, handcuffed, drugged, molested, and mugged already today."

Jack snickered. "And what separates that from an ordinary day for you?"

"Well, you weren't involved in most of it," Hart said, his eyes doing dark with anger. "It was a girl, in fact. Very sexy. Time Agent stock. Susan Olivier. I'm betting you still remember ol' Susie, don't you?"

Jack grimaced. "Damn. Sounds like she's gotten to be almost as crazy as you."

Mira stared at them. "Wait. You know Susie?"

"Knew," replied Jack, looking away. "I knew Susie."

He let go of Hart. "Just this once, I'm going to let you go. I owe you that much."

"Thanks, Jack. You're a real pal." Hart pressed a few buttons on his vortex manipulator and vanished.

Faith looked hard at Jack. "What did you mean by owing him that much?"

Jack sighed. "He rescued me from. . . from Gray. A few years back. He's actually not a bad guy, when he's not going batshit crazy."

Faith tensed at the sound of her "uncle's" name. If there is one thing she found…well, scary, it would be Gray.

Mira glared at Jack. "How could you just let him go like that? He murdered hundreds of people! My brother, Lucian! You two were friends, weren't you? My partner, Avros! How can you justify letting him escape?"

Jack sighed. "It's called mercy, Mira. Even John isn't a beast to be put down. When push comes to shove, even he has his good points."

"Says the man who used to shag him," she spat back. "Like I'd trust you with my quarry as far as I can throw you."

Ianto got up from the table hastily and threw his arms around her neck. "Come, now, Heather. Calm down. I know Jack's methods don't always make sense. But he does his best."

She pulled away from him, her violet eyes burning. "And why are you defending him, now? Didn't he completely tear you apart? Why are you taking his side?"

Ianto rolled his eyes. "I'm not taking anyone's side. I don't have to. You two are on the same side, if you'd both just shut up and listen to each other!"

Everyone stared at the incensed Welshman.

"Did you just tell me to shut up?" Mira asked quietly.

Ianto's eyes softened. "I'm sorry. Please. I just can't stand to watch you two fight. Not over John."

There was a cough from behind Ianto. Susie emerged from behind him, looking speculatively at the group. "Soooo. Apparently I'm missing something here, wanna fill me in Mira?"

As Susie appeared, Jack turned a gun on her. "Susie Talia Olivier. It's been a while."

Mira shot him a look that could take down a rhinoceros. "Gun. Down. Now."

Susie looked stunned for a moment before hiding behind her cheeky smile again. "Well, sounds like someone has really been doing their homework, haven't they? I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage Mr…?"

Jack grinned, lowering his gun. "How cute. They got you too, huh? Name's Captain Jack Harkness. Pleasure to meet you again."

He turned to Mira. "And you, Agent Jamerson. Giving me orders? Even out of the Agency, I still outrank you. Remember that. The only reason why I'm listening to you is because of Lucian."

Mira sighed. "As if I haven't heard that enough."

"Who's this Lucian, anyway?" asked Ianto.

Jack gave him a horrified look. That was not a name to be mentioned casually in Mira's presence, and Jack knew it.

Fortunately, Mira was pretty tolerant when it came to her new husband. She smiled sadly at him, tears in her eyes.

"Commander Lucian Virgilius Jamerson. Time Agent. War hero. And my older brother. John Hart murdered him in cold blood."

Faith gasped and lowered her head.

As Mira began to cry outright for the fist time since her mission to capture Jack and John began, Ianto enveloped her in his arms. She sobbed into his chest, holding on to the collar of his suit for dear life.

The others stared at her, open-mouthed. No one expected this from her. Even Jack was caught off guard.

"I'm so sorry, cariad," crooned Ianto. "I shouldn't have asked."

Susie looked from one to the other, then back to her commander. "Okay Mira, fill me in, then it's my turn k? I lost you last night and then find you playing with a group of strangers. What's the go here?"

Mira looked up at her surprised comrade finally, her eyes bloodshot. "Sorry, Susie. I don't know what came over me. This is Torchwood. Jack's in charge. Then there's Gwen, the second in command. Faith, Jack's adopted daughter. And this is Ianto. My husband."

Susie just stared at Mira, in shock at her open display of emotionalism and her last statement. "Hi everyone."

Her eyes didn't leave Mira. "Married. You. Got. Married. Last night. While I was trying to kill our Nut Bunny, you were off getting hitched to your pretty boy."

She went to curse, then bit it off when she belatedly remembered the child with them. "What were you thinking?"

Susie took a step towards Mira, then stopped herself sharply, clenching her fists and turning so the others couldn't see her face as she tried to regain control of herself. After a minute she turned back.

"Well, that makes what I have to say a bit easier I guess. I met our nut bunny. He got away. I DID chip him before he ran, and poisoned him, though by now, if he's smart, he's found the antidote. May know about the chip by now. Dunno. Now. How. . End. Up. Married?"

Mira and Ianto looked at each other, embarrassed.

"Sly bastard got me pissed," muttered Mira. "Woke up married."

Ianto smiled shyly. "We don't remember what happened. But I'd do it again, sober, I think. . ."

Mira stared at him, her face unreadable.

He stared back, concern flooding his face. "W-wouldn't you?"

She grabbed him and kissed him passionately on the lips.

Jack looked away, clearly upset by this. He turned to Susie.

"So you chipped John? He's going to be so angry when he finds out. . . I'd love to see his face."

Susie dragged her gaze away from the couple, looking a little green around the gills, and a little lost as well. Then she pulled herself together and turned to Jack, her grin back in place.

"I wouldn't. 'specially when he finds out where I chipped him!" Her face suddenly sobered. "Wanna explain to me about the whole gun thing? Or maybe how you know my name? No one knows my full name, but you do. How?"

Jack sort of chuckled, ignoring the newlyweds as they wandered off. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

Gwen smacked him on the arm. "Don't be an ass, Jack. I have to admit, I'm curious as well."

He grinned. "Why? You jealous?"

She scoffed. "Hardly. But you never talk about your time with the Time Agency. I am a little curious."

He sighed. "Fine. Be a spoilsport. Susie here and I used to know each other rather well, back in the Academy."

Susie looked at Jack in confusion. "What the hell you talking about mate? I've never met you before in my life. I'd remem….shit. You can't be telling me our nut bunny was speaking the truth? No way! No freaking way!"

She shook her head vigorously in denial at Jack's words.

Jack stared at her in confusion. "What? What did he tell you?"

Faith pulled on Jack's sleeve. He looked at her, sighing in annoyance.

"Not now, Faith. Maybe you should go back to the warehouse and keep an eye on things there."

Faith nodded and headed for the warehouse. She knew sometimes it was better to let him have his way.

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff<strong>

The warehouse seemed quiet enough, if not for the incessant beeping of the computer.

Faith walked in. She was a little miffed about being dismissed like a kid…. but it couldn't be helped.

She ignored the beeping at first, trying to calm her irritation. The beeping persisted.

Finally, Faith got irritated with the beeping and stormed over to the source.

Sarah Jane hurried into the warehouse, wondering where everyone was, then hearing the beeping, rushed to the computers.

"Oh no… Shit, shit, shit! Why did everyone have to vanish at a time like this?"

She punched a few buttons, silencing the alarms, and wondered if she could track them down.

"If my power hadn't gone out cause of that storm, I'd know…" she suddenly noticed the girl standing next to her, a look of terror on her young face. "Oh, Faith, there you are, where is everyone?"

Sarah tried to get one of them on the phone. No one was answering.

* * *

><p><strong>Jubilee Pizza, Cardiff<strong>

Susie looked at Jack with suspicion and mistrust.

"You're in league with him aren't you? With John? That's why you both are trying to feed me the same story. Our nut bunny reckons he knows me too. Told me that I'm missing memories. That I'd been at the agency for longer than I have been. Well I didn't believe him and I sure as hell ain't gonna believe you either!"

Jack sighed. "It doesn't matter who you believe or don't believe. There's a reason I left the Agency when I did, and it wasn't because I didn't like the pension plan."

"Explain then. Tell me why you left, and why you're on our list to bring back with us hmmm? What am I missing here?"

Just then, Jack's earpiece beeped. He ignored it.

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse<strong>

Faith glared at the screen, her face still frozen in horror.

A map of the city had been pulled up, revealing a large number of hot points. CCTV showed humanoid figures swarming in those locations. Whatever was going on, it was not good.

"They are all at the Pizza place," she told Sarah. "We should warn them."

Sarah paused, then shook her head. "It always seems to go back there… The original signal is gone, but it looks like there is another one… Damn, no one is answering."

She went over to where they kept the weapons, and grabbed her usual gun. "Faith, watch the system, please? Call me, I promise I'll pick up…"

She hurried out to her former place of employment, hoping she didn't get there too late…

Faith turned back to the computer with a sigh. "What should be done about this?"

Taking the mouse, she attempted to zoom in on the humanoid creatures, wanting to get a better visual.

As Faith got a close up on the creatures, she noticed something strange. They looked like people. As she zoomed in closer she saw familiar faces in the crowd. Tosh, Owen, Alice Guppy, Gerald Carter. . . Susie Costello. . . They were all dead Torchwood agents!

Faith covered her mouth. "Dear Lord above! Dead men walking."

_The irony._

* * *

><p><strong>Jubilee Pizza<strong>

Jack nodded slowly at Susie. He tried not to lose patience with the impulsive woman.

"Have you ever woken up one day and realized you can't remember anything you've done? You know you were doing something. You had to be. But you can't remember ever doing anything. Not even brushing your teeth. That's what the Time Agency does to its agents. That's why no one's really sure what they do. Haven't you ever wondered?"

Susie opened her mouth to retort, then stopped and really thought about the question. "I…remember starting at the time agency last year. 5094. I…the schooling part is blurry but I remember passing. I must have done, otherwise I wouldn't be here right?" She bit her lower lip in concentration. "I…guess there are gaps, but I always put them down to getting roaring drunk in order to forget."

She looked at Jack in confusion, and a little fear. "What's going on?"

Jack smiled. "You're starting to wake up." He looked around suspiciously. "Don't let Mira know. The last thing you need is for the General to find out you know."

Susan rolled her eyes. "Great. Just one more secret to add to the mountain I already have. So what else is new?"

Jack's eyes brightened with compassion. "I'll tell you one thing. You haven't changed a bit from when I knew you. Still a spitfire. I remember –"

He was cut off abruptly as Alex Hopkins, former head of Torchwood 3, sunk his teeth into his neck.

Sarah Jane turned the corner to the pizza place, panting from her run. "Jack…..you….idiot. Don't you… ever…. answer…your phone?"

She shot Alex, throwing his body to the ground.

Jack revived, gurgling and then gasping as his wind pipe reformed. "Alex, old pal. I never knew you were into the rough stuff."

He looked around in horror. "More coming. God, it's like the entire Torchwood Morgue escaped when I. . . oh shit."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, I came across several others, like that…. Faith is back at the warehouse…alone…. oh shit."

Jack stared at her.

"You left her alone? We'd better get moving."

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse<strong>

Proximity alarms started to go off, and Faith could hear scraping noises outside. For now, she was trapped in the warehouse.

"Just my luck," she groaned.

She dashed to the armory. She had never used a weapon from there before, but had watched Jack enough to figure it out.

_It can't be that hard, right?_

She grabbed several guns and lots of ammunition, then ran to Jack's office, the technical high ground. Once there, she set the guns on the ground and pulled the ladder up with effort, effectively trapping herself at the top of the warehouse. She walked over to the desk and turned the chairs on their sides, making a nest of chairs around a central point. She quickly brought the guns and ammunition into the nest and began to load the weapons.

Faith looked up at the ceiling.

_Please, let them get here in time._


	6. COTD: Of Zombies and Waffles

**Of Zombies and Waffles**

* * *

><p><strong>Outside the Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff: Morning of June 8, 2011<strong>

A new day had dawned, and most of the Torchwood team had arrived at the warehouse. Unfortunately, most of the undead Torchwood team had as well.

"Jack?" called Gwen as she pistol-whipped a zombie, "Have you ever seen this before?"

He shook his head. "No, but it was always a possibility. All that well-preserved human flesh, over two centuries. . . and as you know, operatives have a pretty high mortality rate."

"But what's controlling them?" she asked, eyes wide.

He grabbed Emily Holroyd and punched her in the face, grinning like a schoolboy. "I've been wanting to do that for years!" he exclaimed, turning to Gwen. "That's the funny thing. It seems to be the rift itself. Look."

Jack pointed at Emily's crumpling body. As they watched, blue energy seemed to pool about her face before it sank back into her nostrils. She regained consciousness and tried to gnaw on Jack. Gwen shot her in the temple.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Maybe Ianto was right about the eating thing after all." He shook his head. "Gwen, we need a plan here. Gwen? Gwen!"

She was shaking in fear, barely even able to hold up her gun. "Jack. . .I. . . it's strange. This seems so familiar. . . I've been here."

Jack put a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. "Calm down, Gwen. I know it's scary, but we have to save Faith."

At the mention of the young operative, her eyes brightened and she gripped her gun a little tighter. "Ok. what's the plan?"

"We have to assume that the rift zombies aren't just here. They might be all over the city. Maybe London and Glasgow too. And we're missing at least half of our team. Gwen, you and I will start taking out the zombies. Sarah, Agent Olivier, please go warn the others. We'll need all the help we can get."

Susie sighed at the man who claimed to be an old friend.

"Okay, Aside from the whole 'don't go giving me orders 'cause you ain't my boss crap, I don't actually know where to start looking ya know? Plus, that last bastard that took a chunk outta me!"

She raised her left arm, showing bloody gouge marks making their way to her wrist. "Manipulator gone. Don't happen to have a spare do ya?"

Her words were slightly strained, but her grin was all cheek.

As Jack was about to reply, Susie, Sarah, and Gwen are all grabbed by the zombies. He looked about frantically, trying to decide who to save before he sighed, kicking another undead operative in the face.

"Just me then. Great."

* * *

><p><strong>Ianto's Flat, Cardiff: Same Day<strong>

Mira sighed in contentment. "That. Was. Amazing."

Ianto grinned at her, breathless. "Yeah?"

She hummed in contentment and rolled onto her side. "Hmmm. . . you should make waffles every morning."

He leaned over and kissed her, pulling back with a strange look on his face. "You're sticky."

Mira looked down and smirked. "Whoops. I must have spilled some syrup on myself."

He grinned. "Well, we can't have that, can we?"

* * *

><p><strong>James' House, Cardiff: Same Day<strong>

James Ashburrow, Torhwood Tech officer, was in a bind. There was a rather massive swarm of zombies outside his house. If he wanted to get into work, he'd have to take them down.

James sighed, and quickly barricading himself in so no zombies would be able to get to him for a while. " Zombies? Really? So much for just having a nice day…"

He quickly tried to scavenge anything he can from the rooms to use as suitable weapons, he found a baseball bat and one dull katana.

_Just great, what's all this gonna do against a zombie invasion?_

He didn't have much time to think, however, as Toshiko Sato had already broken through his window.

He jumped, freaked out by a person going through his window. He readied the baseball bat in his hands.

"Damnit! Never thought of the friggin' windows!"

Tosh lunged for him, snarling. James took a good swing at her, aiming for the head with all of his strength.

The petite Japanese zombie went flying, her skull smashed in. Blue mist escaped from her mouth and flowed off into the sky. James stared at Toshiko for a few seconds. He then rushed to try and block off as many windows as possible. He got two blocked off, including the one Toshiko jumped through just a minute ago.

There was a knock on the door.

"Hey!" called a bright, feminine voice. "Not a zombie! Let me in, I brought guns!"

Upon hearing the word "guns," James ran to the door.

"You can come in, the door is unlocked!"

James stayed beside the door so as not to be initially seen and readied his bat.

A woman of about 18 or 19 dashed in, firing backwards at the zombies with twin glocks. Her long dark brown hair swirled about her as she strafed.

She beamed at him. "Keeping your door unlocked? How early 21st century."

James lowered his baseball bat, relieved, but annoyed by the Welshwoman's comment.

"I didn't have the door unlocked the entire time, moron. I unlocked it after I heard you tell me to open up."

She beamed at him. "No need to get cross, boy-o. We've got zombies to kill."

She tossed him an AK-47 and a belt of extra ammo.

"Name's Annie Cooper. Torchwood Second-in-command."

James grabbed the weapon.

_Great, cause this is exactly what I wanted to do with my day…_

He sighed. "James Ashburrow, technical officer. Where exactly are we going?"

Annie stared at him. "Don't you know? We have to get to the Morgue. This is the day that. . ."

She shuddered. "The day my parents die. We have to stop it."

He didn't know how to respond to something like that.

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Morgue, Ruins of the Hub, Cardiff: Same Day<strong>

As they came to, the women noted that they were tied to the walls of the old morgue. There might have been twenty zombies around them. Gwen struggled for her gun, but it was in vain. They were all disarmed.

Susie shrieked in anger as she squirmed against her bonds. "God dammit! There is no way I'm gonna get dead by you slimy weasels! Just…gimme…a second…. AARGH!"

Her normal agility was hampered by the fact that her torn arm had started to lose feeling. It was taking longer than expected to free herself but it didn't stop her from trying.

"Oh for a nice little explosive or six right now…What are you buggers looking at?" she snarled at the zombies. "Who's yanking your chains? And any of you even talk?"

Suddenly, one of them rushed forward. It was a young woman with long light brown hair and greenish blue eyes.

The other zombies snarled at her as she approached.

Gwen started throwing herself against the wall, trying desperately to loosen her bonds.

"Not like this, god damn it! I am not gonna die like this! I want to die on my own terms."

Susie went still in horror as she recognized the newcomer. "Tell me you are joking right? This is just a bad Halloween joke and we're all gonna laugh real hard when this is over. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

"Apparently she's a Torchwood operative from the future," piped a young feminine voice.

A young woman with short, spiky light brown hair and violet eyes walked into the room, smiling at the women. "You ladies look like you could use some help."

Susie smirked at her. "Sure, as long as by help, you mean untying us and helping massacre the meat, all help is welcome! If on the other hand, your help includes killing us then I'll pass, but thanks for the offer."

Gwen stared at the girl. "And who are you, then?"

The girl grinned, pulling out a rather large particle gun. "Jones. Seren Jones. Torchwood."

Susie whistled. "I like your style Seren Jones, Torchwood. I'm Susan Olivier. Not Torchwood but please feel free not to hold that against me. Don't suppose you have another one of those on you, huh?"

She gasped in pained triumph as her damaged wrist finally came free. Keeping an eye on the rest of the zombies she loosened Gwen's bonds, then started on Sarah Jane's.

Seren helps cut the women down. "Here." She threw her gun to Susie.

Gwen looked at the girl incredulously. "What about you? Now you aren't armed either."

Seren grinned, waving a tiny laser gun with a whistle attached. "This is all I need."

Susie stared in awe at the particle gun. "How the hell'd you get hold of one of those? We haven't even completed the prototype yet and you get one? That sucks!" She took out her frustrations on the zombies, carving them into chunks as she continued to rant to herself.

Gwen nodded to her. "Hey Jones, which Torchwood you from, just out of interest?"

Seren smiled. "Torchwood 3."

She beams as Gwen stared at her in confusion. "Class of 2030 at your service. I'm the Medic."

Gwen frowned. "Some kind of medic you are."

Susie smirked. "Hon, you should see the medics we had! Do their jobs properly and never had anyone to save! Be lucky they don't have those classes yet."

Seren smiled. "That's just my official title. There's no time to explain. I have to go save Faith."

She blew the whistle. Myfanwy the pterodactyl flew down and grabbed her arm in her talons. "Gotta go. My ride's here. Good luck, ladies!"

She headed for the Warehouse.

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff<strong>

"I'm coming, Faith!" cried Jack. "Hang on!"

He began picking off zombies one by one. Suddenly, Gwen appeared behind him, helping him kill the zombies.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

She smiled and kept shooting.

As Faith set one of her weapons down, she heard a familiar voice calling for her.

"Jack?"

With Gwen's help, Jack managed to get near the door when the zombies broke it down.

Faith immediately hid behind the chairs, gripping a shotgun in her hands very tightly and set it on her shoulder. She looked down the barrel, aiming at the door. She focused and tightened her grip, trying to calm herself.

Jack and Gwen burst in amid a swirl of zombies. Jack was still trying to pick them all off.

"Faith!" he bellowed. "Faith! Are you ok?"

"Yeah!" she replied. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Faith relaxed for a moment, then tensed, aiming at one of the zombies following Jack and Gwen in. She fired.

Jack gasped in surprise as a bullet passed straight through his aorta.

Faith frowned. "DAMN! What did I do wrong?"

Jack revived, gasping in pain. "Faith, you need to gently squeeze the trigger, not pull it."

"Oh. ok." She took aim again, making sure to aim for a zombie further away from her allies. She squeezed the trigger.

The zombie crumpled. Jack beamed at her. "You're good!"

He continued taking out as many zombies as he could. Her confidence boosted, Faith took aim at another zombie. She fired again. Reload. Repeat.

Before long, they'd cut the horde down to around 15.

Jack smiled up at her. "Send down the ladder, Faith! Let's get you out of here!"

Faith climbed out of her nest, pulling a belt of ammunition and one of the guns with her. She lowered the ladder and climbed down.

As she climbed down, Jack grabbed her and ran for the door, still shooting with one hand. Neither noticed that Gwen was beginning to look a little. . . hungry.

"Where are the others?" Faith asked her guardian.

"I'm not sure yet," he replied. "But we need to get you someplace safe."

"Wait! I want to help."

Jack stopped. "You can help by staying alive. Faith, you. . . you're too valuable of an asset to be a field agent. Please, let's go somewhere safe."

Faith shook her head looking him hard in the face. "Where is safe, Jack? The zombies are all over the city. No matter where I go, I will be chased."

Jack sighed and handed her a gun. "We careful. We still don't know what caused this."

Faith nodded and turned her attention back to the matter at hand. She glanced at Gwen.

"Gwen, do you know where the others are?"

_Something feels wrong…_

Gwen rushed Faith, snarling. She was about to bite her when suddenly she disintegrated.

"What the?" exclaimed Jack. He looked up to see Seren and Myfanwy. The pterodactyl had Seren's arm in its claws, and she had a laser gun in the other.

"Watch out!" Seren called. "There's a hole in time, and the rift's using it to make zombie of everyone who dies in Torchwood. Even in the future. But they aren't great talkers, we've found."

Jack stared at the girl in shock. "Who the hell are you?"

"Seren Jones. Torchwood Medic. And this is –"

Jack's face lit up in a grin. "Myfanwy! She survived, then!"

Faith smiled at her rescuers. "Thanks, Myfanwy!"

The flying reptile cried out in response. Seren laughed.

"Good. We need to get to the morgue. That's where they're coming from, and that's where your Gwen is."

Jack and Faith ran on foot while Seren and Myfanwy flew above.

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Morgue, Hub Ruins, Cardiff<strong>

Susie surveyed the carnage around them. She walked over to the green eyed girl and looked down at her sadly. The zombie was in three separate parts.

"Looks like you got your wish then, hey little one?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, then determinedly strode over to check on Sarah Jane. She looked at Gwen.

"Out cold, lucky bugger. Leave her here and lets go find the others okay. You'll have to direct me since I've never been here before…"

Just then, James arrived and started shooting the zombies behind him.

Annie ran in with him. "Are you ladies all right?"

Gwen smiled at the newcomer. "We're fine. Sarah's unconscious, but alive."

Annie smiled, her eyes full of tears. "We got here in time," she whispered.

She pulled Gwen into a hug.

The zombies were not attacking any more, but seemed to be converging on their position.

Susie smiled at the new team members. "Oh good, Newcomers! How ya doing! Let's introduce ourselves on the way to the others yeah?"

"Sounds like a plan," agreed James.

Seren flew in. "No need. Jack and Faith are on their way. Damn, but there are a lot of zombies here."

She tapped Myfanwy's claws and the creature dropped her gently. She ran over to Annie.

"Thank God you're ok. I was so worried!"

Annie smiled serenely at the girl. "You weren't alone with that one, Ser."

Faith dashed in, still clutching her shotgun. Jack was right at her heels.

"Hi all!" cried Faith.

Susie beamed. "Excellent!, If everyone's here then introductions are in order, don't you think? I'm Susan, and possibly the only one here not a part of Torchwood."

The Torchwood agents were all too willing to oblige.

"Gwen Cooper, Torchwood second-in-command."

Jack smirked. "Captain Jack Harkness. Torchwood. The boss."

Gwen punched him playfully on the arm.

Faith nodded. "Faith Harkness, Torchwood mystical officer."

"James Ashburrow. Torchwood techie."

Seren licked her lips slightly, smirking. "Seren Jones. Torchwood medic."

Annie looked at her fondly. "Annie Cooper. Torchwood second-in-command."

Gwen looked closely at Annie upon hearing her last name. The girl smiled up at her, her bright blue-green eyes shining.

"Annie? Is that short for something?"

She nodded. "Anwen."

Gwen started. That name sounded so familiar, but she couldn't place it. "That's a beautiful name."

Faith looked down. That name…it was almost like from a dream she had…

Susie looked at Faith appraisingly. "If you're with this mob hon, then I'm guessing there's more to you than just your pretty face, yes?"

Faith hefted her gun and gave Susie a creepy grin. "Si, Bella."

Susie looked around at the others. "Well, intro's done, anyone wanna fill me in on why we're suddenly knee-deep in zombies? Cause I gotta tell ya, I don't remember getting an invite to this one."

Seren sighed. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. There's a wound in time here. The rift is using it to cause havoc. The only way to stop this thing is to fix the problem."

Annie nodded, continuing. "We thought that maybe it was caused by the death of my parents. So we used my rift manipulator to come here and try to fix it."

Jack stared at the girl's wrist strap. "Can I see that for a second?"

Annie nodded, removing her wrist strap and handing it to him. His face paled as he held it.

"Rift manipulator, huh?" He flipped it over and stared at the bottom, gulping. "Where did you get this?"

James interrupted. "I need to go somewhere, can you come with me Annie and use your teleport? I kind of need to get there in a hurry."

Annie smiled at him. "Sure thing."

She grabbed back the wrist strap and ran over to Seren. "Stay safe."

"You too," she replied. They kissed briefly, then Annie left with James.

Jack was oddly silent. He stalked over to a corner, muttering to himself.

Gwen stared at him in concern, walking towards him. "Jack, what's wrong?"

Seren stopped her. "Leave him go, Gwen. We need to plan our escape."

Susie sighed. "Going where though? I'm guessing these guys are all over the place. Where can we go that's safe ish?"

Seren nodded. "My best guess is that the weak point of the rift is around. . ." She pulled out a small tablet-style computer. "Here." She stared at the screen. "Oh. Shit."

Faith turned, staring at her. "What is it?"

"It was never about Annie's parents at all," she said blankly. She looked at the girl in shock.

"It was about mine."


	7. COTD: The Paradox One

**The Paradox One**

* * *

><p><strong>Ianto's Flat, Cardiff: June 9, 2011<strong>

About three or four hours of intense waffle-making later, the Ianto and Mira taking a well-deserved nap. Suddenly, they were awoken by a loud crash as zomified Seren broke down the door.

Ianto grabbed Mira and forced her behind him.

"I'll distract her," he hissed. "Quick! Get out of here!"

Mira shook her head. "I'm not leaving you here! You aren't even dressed."

He leaned over and kissed her passionately. Before she could protest, he pressed the teleport on her vortex manipulator, teleporting her to safety.

"Now then," he mused with a smirk, "Where's that particle gun I got from Jack?"

* * *

><p><strong>Storage Unit, Cardiff<strong>

James and Annie approached a large storage unit. She looked at him questioningly.

"And what's in here that's so important?"

"You'll see," he replied with a slight smile.

He put in a code to open up the door. Inside was some sort of hover bike with a laser cannon mount.

He looks at the stunned young woman. "Would you be able to teleport this as well as both of us?"

Her eyes grew wide. "Sweet mother of sexiness! That's one hell of a ride!"

She looked up at him, pleading with her eyes. "Can't this go pretty fast? Can't we take it for a spin?"

James smirked. "Sure we can, just make sure to hold on."

He hopped on the bike, waiting for Annie to get on. She climbed on behind him, clearly thrilled to pieces. As they were about to leave, however, her rift manipulator beeped.

"Hello?"

Seren's voice was garbled and nervous. "Annie, we need you to meet us at my parents' place. There's a situation."

"We'll be right there." She turned to James. "Let's see how fast this baby can go."

* * *

><p><strong>Outside Ianto's Flat, Cardiff<strong>

Team Torchwood arrived at the flat. Gwen noticed with horror that the door was already torn from its hinges.

Jack was still out of it.

"Ianto!" called Gwen frantically. "Agent Mira? Anyone?"

They heard movement inside the building, gunfire, and shouts.

Gwen plunged into the building without a second thought. "Ianto!"

James stopped the bike outside and hopped off. "This will be fine here," he said to Annie. "Nobody will be able to steal it thanks to the DNA verification hardware I put in."

She rolled her eyes. What a showoff.

He started walking into the flat.

Annie ran towards her girlfriend. "Seren!"

Seren turned and looked at Annie with relief. "Oh, thank god. Let's go."

They followed suit.

Inside the flat, it was pitch black. Gwen turned on a light. Standing on top of a pile of dead zombies and looking in dismay at the blood on the bedsheet he was wearing was Ianto Jones, alive and well.

Sarah stirred, waking up. She looked over and saw Jack. "Oh my head…. Jack…Jack! Are you ok?"

She moved over to check on him, waving a hand in front of his unseeing eyes. Realizing he was not quite there at the moment, she got up slowly, looking around.

Faith looked at the older woman. "Welcome back to the land of the living…well, kinda."

She smiled back at Faith in relief. Moving closer to her, she sighed. "What on Earth is going on? Where is everyone else?"

Faith gestured to the flat. "Inside, looking for Ianto. Apparently we are in the midst of a Zombie attack."

As she spoke, the women returned, Ianto in tow (though he was now at least wearing pants.). Jack smiled slightly at this, but offered little in the way of greeting.

"Nice. Where's Mira?"

Ianto shrugged, then passed out.

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Star Galleon<em>, In Orbit**

Mira arrived on the ship, cursing furiously. "Ianto! You fucking jackass! What exactly were you trying to pull? I'm a warrior too, you know! I'm not fragile!"

Violet murmured to herself. "…sounds like she's back…"

Mira spun on her heels in shock at the sound, relaxing when she recognized the young Irishwoman.

"Oh. Hi, Violet."

She suddenly remembered that she was stark naked, and blushed as she covered herself as much as possible with her hands.

Violet rolled her eyes, sighing. "You make life really awkward at times Mira. I can't believe that I fell in love with your brother."

She sighed again, bowed her head, said a short prayer and came up with a fake smile on her face.

"What are we up to now?"

Mira smiled, nonplussed. :I am going to get dressed. Then we are going to go rescue my husband."

"Oh, joy," murmured Violet. Then Mira's words sunk in. "Husband? When and why? And I am just learning now? We were almost sisters and I am just learning this now? Ok, fine I will help you save your husband! But I swear if you and him make out in front of me I will not help you save him ever again!"

Mira nodded. She was used to the other agent's changeability by now. "It's a long story. I'll be right back."

Violet shook her head in disbelief. "Ok I guess I should get ready to kill things."

After Mira got dressed, the agents teleported to Cardiff. Or, Violet did, at least. Mira repeatedly pressed her manipulator, but it was clear that Ianto had disabled it.

"Son of a bitch!" bellowed Mira.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside Ianto's Flat, Cardiff<strong>

"What the hell happened?" asked James, sighing.

Sarah stood up, straightening her clothes, just as Ianto fell. She shook her head, walking over to see what she could do.

Faith also ran over to the collapsed man. She leaned in to take his pulse. As she reached for him, however, he lunged, latching onto her shoulder with his firm jaws.

This seemed to finally stir Jack into action.

"Faith!" he cried, shooting the Ianto zombie in the chest. Then he fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

Sarah grabbed the girl, pulling her away from the zombie Ianto. "Faith! Are you ok?"

Faith held her injured shoulder, looking at the now down zombie. "Wh- God help us. That hurt!"

James just stood there as he did not want to get in the way.

"Let me see," crooned Sarah. She pulled Faith's shirtsleeve up, inspecting the bite. "It doesn't look too bad, but it needs taken care of…"

Looking around at the others, she assessed the situation. "Ok, I'm gonna need some medical stuff…And we need to get somewhere safe… Any ideas?"

Jack placed a hand on Faith's other shoulder, eyes full of regret. "I'm so sorry, Faith. I should have noticed that he wasn't acting like Ianto. Trouble is, he's always been quiet when he's brooding."

"What's that about my brooding, sir?"

Jack turned to see Ianto glaring at him, a smirk on his face. He smiled, pulling him into a tight embrace. Ianto flailed a little bit, but accepted the hug. When Jack let go, he went to look at Faith's wound.

Faith felt very uncomfortable with both Jack and Sarah looking at her wound. They could see all the other smaller wounds she had gathered over the years on her arm. Wounds that could never heal…

"Here," offered Seren. She threw them a med pack. Ianto stared at her.

"Have we met?"

Her eyes grew misty when she looked at him. She shook her head.

"No. . . no we haven't. . . I'm Seren."

"Ianto Jones."

She smiled softly at him. "So you are."

Sarah could sense Faith's unease, and slipped the sleeve back down, giving Jack a quick grin. "She should be ok for now, it seems like it's only superficial…" Giving the girl a small hug, she got up, stretching a little. She seemed to be stiff from being knocked out still.

Faith smiled her thanks to Sarah, then turned her attention to Jack.

James frowned, still very confused. "What the hell was that?" He pointed to the zombie version of Ianto.

Jack smiled warmly at the young techie. "James, that is what we call a zombieganger. It's Ianto, but dead Ianto. From the future. Reanimated then brought through the rift. It's quite annoying. We've been fighting them all day."

James rolled his eyes. Perfect. "Well if we see any more of these zombiegangers I'll be sure to hit them with my bike's grenade launcher!" He kicked the Ianto zombie to see if it was faking its death.

Ianto glared at James. "Some respect, please!"

"I was only seeing if it still had some spark left in it," James muttered bitterly. "If you need me I'll be out front, using my bike as defense."

Gwen looked around. "I'm going to scout the perimeter, see what we're dealing with here."

"I'll go with you," volunteered Annie.

As the three agents left, Violet materialized. She looked extremely peeved.

"OK. Who is the one that married Agent Jamerson? That is completely unacceptable! Now maybe if we had gone through it correctly this would all be fine. Her brother wouldn't have wanted her to marry just anyone. She said something about saving this guy, so who is he?"

Ianto shakily raised his hand. "Um, that would be me. Ianto Jones. And you are?"

"I am Agent Violet Conway," she said with heavy disdain. "So you are the one that is married to my sister of sorts…hmmm. Well, I don't like you yet. You are going to have to prove something to me. Can someone worthwhile inform me on what is going on?"

Seren smiled at the agent. She liked this one. "So, here's the situation. I'm Seren. Annie and I are from the future. Torchwood's future. Now, we noticed a hole in time that was causing things from our world to slip away, including Annie's memories. That led us to conclude that someone was mucking about in the past. So, we came here to fix the situation, discovered all these zombies, found out they were made by the rift out of dead Torchwood agents, and that their end purpose was. . . anyone?"

She looked around. "No ideas. Ok. Here's one. What if they're here to also fix what went wrong? Hmm? Is it possible that they're here to help us?"

She was met with stunned silence. "Didn't think so," she said, smirking. "Let's kill those bastards."

"Where are they, though?" asked Violet. "How are we going to find them and kill them? Now killing these bastards sounds like fun, but how?"

"We won't have to look very far. . ." muttered Ianto. A large horde was headed in their direction.

Violet shook her head. "Oh darn. This means I won't have time for target practice on Ianto… Oh well, lets get down to killing some zombies."

Sarah stared in horror at the massive horde. "Oh hell… are there enough guns to go around?"

Faith hefted her gun.

"Hmm. . ." mused Seren. She snapped her fingers. Myfanwy dropped a satchel full of guns in front of her. "Thanks, gorgeous."

Sarah looked up in awe. "Is that one real?" She laughed, moving over to Seren. "I'm Sarah Jane, by the way… I guess I was unconscious for a bit…"

James saw the swarm of zombies approaching. "Finally!" he crooned, smirking. He hit a few buttons and launches a grenade into the fray.

Suddenly, the team heard cries from the side yard.

"Mum! Look out!"

They ran over to see Gwen on the ground, a gaping wound in her abdomen.

Faith's eyes widened at the sight of her friend. "Gwen!"

"Shit! Gwen!" cried Jack in horror. He lifted her head, balling his coat under it.

Gwen smiled weakly at him. "I'm ok. I just. . .am rubbish . . . at ducking."

Jack smiled sadly. "Well, you're still making fun of yourself. That's a good sign." It was clear he didn't believe that.

Annie was rocking back and forth, completely numb.

Ianto looked at her in confusion. "You. . . called her mum."

She nodded, face white as snow. "Yeah. But I was too late. She got hurt. What if I never get born now?"

Gwen grabbed her hand. "No. Anwen. I will live. . . for you. . ."

She passed out.

Sarah turned and picked up the med pack Seren had tossed her earlier. "Here, I don't know if anything in there will help, but maybe there's something… I'm so sorry Gwen…"

Seren smiled at Sarah, grabbing back the med pack. "Don't worry. I've got just the thing." She spread a thin-looking ointment on the wound. The bleeding slowed, then stopped altogether. "Liquid bandage. Annie, don't you remember finding this last year?"

Sarah just watched in awe as the blood stopped flowing. "That stuff is amazing!"

She had a brief memory flash, and looked around, thinking.

_Whatever happened to…_

Violet started firing into the crowd of zombies while the others were taking care of Gwen. Faith joined her.

James was still there, blasting at the zombies. "Die! ….. Well, die again!"

With Gwen unconscious, Jack turned to Annie. "What's the plan?"

Annie smiled at him. "Jack, please go with Gwen back to your place. Keep her safe. Seren and I will deal with the zombies. Now go!"

Jack picked up Gwen and ran. It was only when he arrived home that he wondered why he was taking orders from a teenager.

Faith was starting to feel horrible about herself. Sure the creatures she was shooting at were dead, but that didn't help any.

Violet looked at her in concern. "Faith, you don't look so good! Does someone know what's wrong with her?"

Faith shook herself. If she kept this up, she might end up shooting someone she cared about.

Sarah looked her over, glancing back at Violet. "Ah…well… she's a little girl, how do you expect her to be acting at a time like this?"

"I don't know! I have little to no experience with children and I don't think she is any normal child anyhow."

James, meanwhile, had run out of grenades. "They won't stop coming! Looks like I'll have to use something else." He pushed a few buttons and the grenade launcher was replaced with a laser cannon. He fired, decimating the horde.

Violet whistled. "Ok, well that takes care of most of them…"

The laser cannon ceased, and the bike slowly hovered back down to the ground.

James frowned. "Looks like she is low on power." He took out his pistol and started shooting the rest of the zombies.

Suddenly there was an ear splitting sonic scream coming from inside. The decibels rose in range till everyone's ears refused to hear it anymore. At that point the zombies, en masse, began covering their own ears and toppling over lying motionless on the ground. Susie stepped from the building, looking critically at her handiwork.

"Sorry bout that guys. I had to work on the frequency level. This won't hold for long but maybe for long enough. Let's get out of here huh?"

Suddenly, Seren noticed a rather large piece of building shrapnel heading for the group. "Damn!"

Annie ran to her, knocking her to the ground. "Seren! No!"

The jagged piece of shrapnel crashed into the grass where she was standing just moments before.

"Uh, guys?" asked Susie shakily. "Anyone got a bandage?

She slumped slowly to the ground, her torn up arm still bleeding freely. Faith dropped her gun, dashed to find the med kit that Seren had, and ran to Susie's side.

Before anyone could do a thing more, the rift opened in front of them. A voice emanated from it. It did not sound human.

_"Give it to us. Give it to us. Give us the Paradox One."_

Seren frowned. "What the hell is that, then?"

Faith reached into the bag and pulled out the liquid bandage she had seen Seren use earlier. She spread it over Susie's wound.

Susie smirked at the girl. "Faith, tell it we ate it!"

"What?"

James looked more confused than ever. "What the hell is this Paradox One?"

_"We will have it back," continued the voice. "We will have it all back. . ."_


	8. COTD: Into The Rift

**Into The Rift: END OF _THE CITY OF THE DAMNED_**

* * *

><p><strong>Harkness Residence, Cardiff: Morning of June 10, 2011<strong>

Gwen woke up in a dark, unfamiliar place. She immediately reached for her gun, moaning in agony as she twisted to reach for it. Jack, who was napping in the chair next to her, started at the noise.

"It's ok. It's ok. Just lie still, Gwen. You were wounded. You're safe now."

"Jack?" she moaned in confusion.

"Yes. I'm here."

"But I can't see you."

He turned on the light. "There. Is that better?"

She smiled weakly at him. "It would take something like this to get me in your bed, now wouldn't it?"

He brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. "Hey, now. Shhh. . . you need to rest."

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

She sighed sadly. "Why do you do that? Why can't you ever just. . ."

"Just what?" He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her in concern.

"You don't treat me the way you treat everyone else," she said, staring at him with a strange light in her eyes. "You try to, but you don't. Ever since I joined Torchwood, you've treated me differently. So I guess what I'm saying, Jack, is why the hell can't you make up your mind?"

He went to caress her cheek, then hesitated, sighing. "Gwen, all I've ever wanted for you was a normal life."

She snorted. "Look around, Jack. There are zombie versions of everyone we've ever worked with on the streets. Every day, it's tentacles in the sky or pus demons or pterodactyls. I don't think normal has been an option at any point since I met you." She grabbed his hand. "And I'm tired of pretending that it is."

He stared at her, conflict playing across his face. "We had an agreement, you and I. That was the only way I'd let you work for me."

"So fire me, then," she said, smirking slightly. "Give me a big dose of retcon and dump me on the streets. Go ahead. I won't fight."

He bit his lower lip as she continued.

"Because you won't. You can't. Because once I walk out that door into this city, I'm in danger, Jack. And you know it. I've made too many enemies, and even if I don't remember them, they'll remember me. How long do you think you can protect me, Jack? Hmm?"

"Please, Gwen," he whispered, a pained look on his face. "Don't do this."

She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "You told me once that I was the one who brought you back. I know you weren't lying. But you won't ever fight for me, will you? I'm just a toy left in the box that you don't want anyone else to play with either."

"You got married!" he exclaimed.

"You didn't stop me!"

He sighed, turning away. "Gwen, if I. . . If I say what I have to say, everything will change. Things will never go back to how they were before. What if this is a mistake? I couldn't stand to see you look at me the way you used to look at Owen."

She sat up, softly groaning in pain, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I understand. And I can't promise you anything. So if that's what you want. . ."

He spun around and kissed her gently, chastely on the lips.

She sighed softly, grabbing at the hair on the back of his head and intensifying the kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>The Rift, outside Ianto's Flat<strong>

Seren stared into the abyss, trying to make sense of it. "But who are you? And what do you want, exactly? I'm sorry, but I've never heard of the Paradox One."

The voice seemed to almost laugh. _"We are many. We are few. We are the deadly life, the living death. And we are hungry."_

Seren frowned in frustration. "God damn it! Stop talking in riddles and just tell me!"

_"You are a being without being. We will not talk with you. Bring us one who truly belongs in this place. We will speak to them."_

Seren looked around. She sighed. She and Annie hadn't been born yet in this world. Judging by his technology, James hadn't either. She turned to Faith, Sarah, and Ianto.

"Any of you lot belong here?"

Sarah took a deep breath and nodded, moving towards her. "I was born and raised here." She looked up towards the sky. "I am from here. What is it that you want from us, exactly?"

A bright light shone out of the rift, reaching for her. Suddenly, it withdrew.

_"No. Not you. You are not of this place."_

Sarah blinked, looking up. "Wait, what? I grew up here, what do you mean, not of this place? What's that mean?"

Faith looked at the abyss. "I'm an anomaly. I should be dead, but I was brought back from Death's grip. Am I the one you are looking for?"

_"You are of us. But you are not of us. Dead-not-dead one. We seek one who is Living-not-living." _It directed its attention to Sarah. _"And you, most beautiful lady of starlight, how long have you been lying to yourself? We say what we mean. You are not of this place."_

She frowned, lost in thought.

Ianto stepped forward. "Now, I know this makes me sound pretty damn pathetic, but I'm as normal as they come. Will you speak to me?"

The rift spasmed as a light scanned him. It began to open wider.

_"Yes. Yes!"_

As the rift widened over Cardiff, Ianto closed his eyes, prepared to let the warmth of the rift wash over him.

Suddenly, he was thrown backward by a tremendous force. Mira hovered in front of him, arms outstretched. "Leave my husband alone, you bastards! You will surrender your claim over him. He belongs to me."

"H-Heather?" he asked, staring at her in disbelief. What are you doing?"

She looked over her shoulder at him, smiling. "Saving your skin, Earth Boy." She returned her focus to the creatures in the rift. "You will leave now, and seal the rift behind you."

_"Who are you to tell us what to do? You are a human, are you not?"_

She smirked. "Oh, I'm a little more than that. Don't you know? I am Heather Mirabel Jones, Arc of Time. I am the Paragon. I _am_ the Time Agency!"

_"Silly human girl,"_ hissed the voice.

She was zapped into smithereens. _"Proposal denied."_

"Mom!" cried Seren in horror.

"Heather!" shrieked Ianto. He rushed towards her disintegrated body. Seren held him back.

"It's too late. She's gone. She's gone." They wept, holding each other.

"Oh my god," whispered Sarah. She snapped out of her reverie, and stood tall.

"Why did the Voice seem…excited when Ianto stepped forward?" asked Faith softly. She was numb to Mira's death. She had killed much this day… death no longer fazed her. She prayed out of reflex.

"I was about to ask the same thing," crooned Jack, sauntering forward with Gwen in tow. "I mean, I've always thought you were exciting, Ianto, but I'd like to think I know you better than this thing."

Annie frowned at him. "I thought I told you to stay away!"

He smirked. "And why did you think I'd ever take orders from a kid?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course. Mom always said you were stubborn."

He looked at her with the same look he had after flipping over her rift manipulator.

"So, Voice," addressed Gwen. "Who are you? And what do you want?"

Susie stepped forward. "What about me? Can I speak?"

_"Time Agent,"_ hissed the voice._ "Your very existence hinges on your ability to survive paradox. No. We will not hear you. Speak, Gwen Cooper."_

Gwen nodded. "I believe I asked you a question."

_"Several questions, in fact. We will answer. We are the remains of what was once a great race. A race which has been decimated and destroyed. We, those born of Chaos, fled into the rift, where our consciousness survives and governs all the probabilities of the universe. We are children of Gallifrey. We are Faction Paradox."_

Jumping at the name, Sarah paled a little. "Gallifrey? Where have I heard that before?"

Jack tensed. He doesn't like the sound of this.

The voice continued. _"There is a wound in time here. We have sent our agents to seal this hole. We have concluded that it is caused by one of you. Someone who should not be alive, but is. We will have the one we are looking for. And we will be reborn."_

"Oh, that doesn't sound good," muttered Jack.

Ianto stepped forward again. "And if we refuse?"

_"Your planet is nothing. Your people, nothing. We will rend this universe apart and create a new one in our own image. We are Chaos. We are Destruction. You are few. You are weak."_

Faith growled. "You are wrong! The human race has over come so much, even in small numbers. They have survived the worst things thrown at them. This planet will survive. And you, You Chaos' children, will die!"

"No!" cried Sarah suddenly. She turned, looking at all of them. "We can't let this happen! Faction…they're….I'm…" She looked down, closing her eyes as she remembered something. "I'm not human…"

She looks up, her face bright with newfound confidence. "As long as I am here, nothing of the sort will happen. I command you to leave my friends, and this world as it is!"

_"Oh, you think so?"_ crooned the voice, clearly amused. _"You are ancient. But to us, you are still a child."_

Ianto clenched his fists. "Leave her alone. It's me you want, isn't it?"

"Daddy! No!" cried Seren.

He turned to her, smiling sadly. "I knew it. Somehow, I just knew it."

_"Very well,"_ said the voice. _"What is your proposal?"_

"I will go with you. In return, you will fix this. You will not harm any more of these people."

"But you can't," cried Seren.

Ianto held his daughter tightly in his arms. "I know it's me they're looking for. It's always been. Seren, sweetheart. Don't cry now. It's ok."

He turned to Jack. "There's a reason these last few years haven't been right. You were supposed to let go of me a long time ago."

Jack shook his head. "No, Ianto. I could never let you do this."

"I'm not asking for permission." He embraced Jack. "I loved you once, Jack. I told myself it could never be anything, but I loved you. And you were so kind to me. You treated me well. And you protected me. You always protected me. Let me protect you for once."

"No," pleaded Jack. "Please, no."

"Goodbye, Jack."

He plunged into the rift, his game face on. Whatever awaited him, he was going to seize it with both hands.

"Ianto!" cried Jack. He turned to Gwen, tears in his eyes.

"I have to."

She frowned at him, eyes bright with pain. "No, you don't. Jack, don't you dare."

Jack shook his head. "I can't let him go into that hell alone, Gwen. I'll come back to you. Someday. I always do, don't I? Eventually, I always come back."

He tossed his vortex manipulator to her. "It's a promise, Gwen."

She flipped it over and looked at the bottom. He had burned an inscription on it: Forever Yours, Jack.

"When I saw that on Annie's version, that's when I knew this had to happen. Keep it for her, Gwen. And take good care of my team."

"Jack, I. . ."

He smiled sadly. "I know. I love you too."

He took a running leap into the rift.

Faith ran to Gwen. The older woman was all she had now. Gwen sobbed into her hands. Ianto was gone. Jack was gone. Rhys was gone. Her team was gone, and all she had left were practical strangers. And Faith. She turned to the girl.

"He did promise he'd be back, didn't he?"

If the girl could cry, she would have had tears streaming down her face. But she had to be strong. She had believe.

"I've known him for over a century, Gwen. He hasn't broken a promise yet, and I'm positive he is not going to begin today."

Seren nodded. "He'll be back. I'll make sure of it." She grabbed Annie and kissed her deeply, tears streaming down her face. "At least one of us needs to have a dad. And it was never going to be me."

She blew her whistle. Myfanwy swooped down and grabbed her, throwing the girl onto her back. As she took off, she grinned at Annie.

"I'll bring him back none the worse for wear. You have my word."

She leapt from Myfanwy's back into the rift. "Chaos bastards!" she screamed, her guns drawn. "Two can play at that game!"

The rift sealed behind her.

In tears herself, Sarah made her way over to Gwen and Faith. "I know I'm not that helpful, but I'll be here. Whatever we need to do, until Jack comes back… I just know he will."

Faith smiled at her and gave her a hug. Sarah grinned back, returning the hug warmly.

"So, what's the game plan? I don't know if Faction will keep their word, they've had a habit of messing things up far worse…"

Faith frowned up at her. "How do you know that?"

Sarah paused a moment, looking up at the sky, then back down at Faith. "I'm still not sure yet… But it's a memory. From a long time ago…. before… Before I came here."

Annie looked down at her hands. Suddenly, she saw a slip of paper stuck to her collar. It was a small notecard with a symbol of a dragon strangling itself with its own tail on one side. She flipped it over, suddenly smiling through her tears.

"Anwen?" asked Gwen. "What is it?"

She showed them the paper. The text was written in a scrawling, manly hand.

_August 12, 2030. Torchwood Hub. Midnight. Have faith._

Annie beamed at her mother. "We have a date and time. They're coming back."


	9. There Are No Words: ONESHOT

**There Are No Words: By Anna Morris**

**_A oneshot that t__akes place around the time that Susie vanishes before she shows up to save the day. Apparently John appeared, grabbed her and disappeared before anyone realized what had happened._**

"Hold up!" Hart demanded, holding his arms up, palms out in supplication. "I didn't bring you here to fight you; I brought you here to HELP you!"

"Yeah," Scoffed Susie. "Sure you did! The only person you are willing to help is yourself, and nothing I've seen so far has even come close to changing my mind." She went to use her Vortex Manipulator, only to remember that she'd lost it in the fight with the zombies. "DAMMIT!" She hollers in anger, turning to fix John with a murderous glare as if to blame him for her problems.

"Fine." She bites out "You have thirty seconds, start talking."

"I need you to stop me doing something in the past, which has managed to change the future."

For a full minute, Susie just stood there and looked at John. Blank of face, and for the first time in her entire life, completely and totally speechless.

"I…You…I…?"

Finally she took a deep breath. "You" she said slowly, as if to convince herself she really had heard correctly. "You went into the past and with full knowledge of what you were doing, you changed how it would turn out. You did this."

Susie couldn't believe her ears. This was the first thing drilled into the heads and minds of every single Time Agent. You don't go into the past and mess around with it. You just don't. they were explicitly told about what happened when somebody did this, even had a visual from the memories of a few of the agents who'd helped bring things back into line. Sure the Agency had Rules, and the thing about the Rules was that they were put in place to make you think before you ignored them – or that was how she'd always considered things anyway. But this Rule wasn't just a rule, it was a Universal Law and as such, it was sacrosanct. This Rule was alive and breathing and could kick your ass. You didn't ignore rules that fought back.

Hart had the grace to look slightly ashamed of himself. "well. I thought I was doing the right thing, but it appears that I messed things up slightly." He coughed in embarrassment, then went on. "Anyway, I'm gonna let you save the day, be the hero and all that, but in the meantime there's something I want you to do for me. Otherwise, things will stay the same way"

Susie crossed her arms and continued to glare at John, as if he were a disobedient child.

"You're saying, that you created this mess, but instead of fixing it yourself you are gonna make me do it, after I do another favour for you first."

He thought about it for a moment. "yeah, that pretty much covers it I think." He gave her a little boy grin as if to say, 'I may be a psychotic madman, but aren't I cute?'

Susie closed her eyes for a moment, in disgust at herself for being stupid enough to go along with him even this far. Then opened her eyes and looked at him again. "Tell me what you want, then we'll see."

Hart's expression didn't change, but for a moment his eyes shone in triumph. "I want you to be the mother of my child" He stated simply.

Susie snorted then in a wry tone of voice she said one word. "Can't"

"Can't? or Won't?"

For reply, Susie raised the end of her top to bring her abdomen into full view. Pale milky skin was marred by five jagged looking scars coming together to form a knot of thick, ugly flesh just above her navel. She never took her eyes off Hart, who had glanced at her stomach and couldn't seem to look away.

"Can't" She repeated softly but firmly. She replaced her top.

Hart looked shell shocked. Like the rock had suddenly crumbled from under his feet. "when the hell did this happen?" he demanded hoarsely.

The world tilted. It took him a moment to realise that she'd hit him. He hadn't even seen her move!

He was just suddenly flat on his back, looking up at an enraged woman, and by god, she looked glorious like that!

Susie stood over him, breathing heavily, and trying hard to remember that she couldn't kill him till she'd stopped the past from being shot to hell. It was bloody difficult. She wanted to rend and tear and HURT, but she fought hard with her base emotions, and slowly, slowly she forced them back inside herself, into the deep darkness where she kept them.

Finally she remembered she had a mouth. "You selfish, arrogant sonofabitch!" she bit out through gritted teeth. "I always knew you were self-centred but even I never imagined just how deep that went." She was shouting now, and shouting felt good. While she was shouting she wasn't kicking, which would be bad.

Hart looked up at her in confusion. "what the hell are you babbling about woman?"

"You don't remember do you?" Susie demanded furiously. "The time you and I were teamed up with each other by the Agency, and you ditched me to go off and get trapped with Jack in that Time Loop? You never once concerned yourself with how I was, or whether I'd even completed the mission in once piece did you? You never even thought about it did you? DID YOU?" She screamed.

His eyes widened slightly as a memory surfaced. "I left you on your own because I knew you could handle a couple of rogue weevils without me." He replied. "hell lady, you could handle anything at least as well as myself or Jack! You always could!"

"What about my lover gutting me like a pig on a spit?" She returned quietly. "and leaving me to be devoured by those same weevils we'd been sent to rein in? What about me shooting Jaydee in the head before the weevils approached just so they would eat him first? Oh, and don't forget the part where the medics realised as they patched me up that I'd been eight weeks pregnant with Twins at the time – they found the remains floating around with all the other crap that had been torn apart inside me when Jaydee had used his OWN HAND as a fucking mincer! – And that because my womb had been active at the time, the damage was worse than it should have been and they were going to have to remove the lot just to keep me alive! What about that John? Could I have handled that? SHOULD I have handled that?"

Susie backed away from him, her arms wrapping themselves around her stomach in defence of the violation that had gone on there. Her face was white in remembered shock at what had happened that afternoon, when everything had changed forever.

Hart stood up slowly, warily, looking at her in a mixture of compassion and pain. She barely noticed.

"You know," she went on in a distant voice. "It was the strangest thing. When I arrived at the scene, and saw Jaydee there, his first words were, 'where's John?' and he was furious when I told him you'd ditched me. What he said just before gutting me is something I've always remembered because it made absolutely no sense to me at the time. Still doesn't come to think of it. But he looked at me, and said – almost to himself – 'well if he isn't going to treat his toys any better, he deserves to have them broken'. Then he minced me up."

In two strides Hart was in front of Susie. He dragged her into his arms, and held her tightly to his body, her head against his neck. He whispered "I'm sorry" over and over again, though who he was trying to comfort at this point was anyone's guess. Susie remained dry-eyed. She hadn't cried since it had happened. Hadn't let herself.

Eventually his grip loosened and he stepped back, still holding her by the shoulders as if afraid to let go completely. He looked at her curiously, and slightly troubled.

"Why do you remember this?" He demanded, shaking her lightly. "You shouldn't remember any of this!"

"I don't." Susie answered lightly, a slight smirk back on her face. "I have absolutely no memory of those two years when I was with Jaydee, or what happened during that time. " The smile fell away. "And I've made damn sure that no-one ever had a reason to suspect otherwise."

Susie stepped away from Hart, until he had to let her go. Her smirk was back in place.

"What I remember is waking up in an Agency hospital bed with the General standing over me, demanding to know why I thought he should let me stay with the Agency after the stunt I had pulled. According to him I'd gone on a bender after graduating and literally stumbled into a rogue weevil who proceeded to rip out my stomach, for which no-one could come up with a reason why – and it was damned lucky that I had a danger tracker on me because I was so tanked I couldn't even feel the damn thing eating me! Apparently I was to be let off with a warning this time since the damage was gonna stay with me as a reminder of my idiocy!"

"You're saying that they didn't erase your mind properly?"

"I'm saying that any drug can be tolerated if you build up enough immunity to it! Now," She continued as nothing was wrong. "Now that I've answered your request, tell me where I need to be to fix this mess you've got us into hmmm?"


	10. Daughters of Torchwood

**Daughters of Torchwood**

**_A series of short oneshots between City of the Damned and The Fading Light._**

* * *

><p><strong>Missing You<strong>

**Cooper House, Cardiff: February 20, 2016**

Anwen J. Cooper, five years old, was sitting on her mother's lap, taking a nap. It had been a long day full of excitement. Cake, and presents, friends, and laughter: the world was hers on this particular day. Seren and Faith had been over most of the day to play with her. She always liked it when the other girls would spend time at her house. Then she didn't feel so alone when Mummy went to work.

She stirred, waking groggily. As she rubbed her eyes, she asked the question Gwen had been dreading for years.

"Mummy, why did da leave?"

Gwen smiled sadly at her young daughter.

"Your da had something very important to do, Annie. He had to go away for a while on business."

"But why did he leave?" The little girl's eyes — his eyes — were round with worry. "Didn't he love me enough?"

"Sweetheart, no. You mustn't … don't even think that. Your da loved you very, very much. So much that he almost tore apart the world to protect you."

The little girl smiled at her mother with a big toothy grin.

"Faith says my da is a superhero."

Gwen laughed, the first real laugh she could remember in a while.

"I suppose that's true. He is, yeah."

Annie's grin widened. "Yeah! My da's Batman!"

Gwen shook her head, beaming at her daughter. Who had let Annie watch American cartoons again? "Now, don't you go telling the kids at school that, sweetheart. I doubt they'd believe ya."

As the little girl hopped off Gwen's lap and ran over to her toy box to play with the new doll Faith had brought her, Gwen sighed.

She walked into her bedroom and opened her jewelry box. Inside was the vortex manipulator, its rough, worn leather a stark contrast from the red velvet that housed it. She touched it gently, reverently, tracing the stitching with her finger.

"Jack, where are you?"

* * *

><p><strong>Farewell<strong>

**Cooper House, Cardiff: November 10, 2023**

There was a knocking on the door, soft, but persistent.

"Just a second!" Gwen called, putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher, kicking it closed with her bare foot. It had been a hectic week, and she was lucky to have had time out to clean at all, what with the impending annual rift storm hanging over her head.

As she opened the door, she saw a slight body collapsed outside of it. She gasped in surprise, turning the child over in her arms. It was Seren Jones, blood caked in her braided light brown hair, dying the roots black. She was unconscious.

"Who is it, Mum?" Annie wandered in from her bedroom, the curiosity in her blue eyes changing to shock and horror. "Seren? Seren!"

"She's ok, Annie. She's alive." Gwen carried the young girl over to the couch, laying her out gently. "Bring me some hot water and bandages. Quickly now."

Seren stirred as Gwen dabbed a warm washcloth along the cut on her head, cleaning it of dried blood. It was a nasty wound, and had bled profusely, but wasn't very deep. Gwen sighed in relief. Whatever had happened, her daughter's friend would be fine.

When she finally awoke to Gwen's concerned face, Seren sat up quickly, then fell back against the pillows, still faint from the loss of so much blood.

"What happened, Seren?" Gwen asked, motioning to Annie that she could come see her friend. The young girl complied, scanning her head to toe with her wrist strap.

"No other injuries. Seren, what were you doing?"

The girl smiled weakly. "I crashed the _Star Galleon_."

"What?" Gwen looked at her in shock. "Why were you even flying it? Didn't Mira stop you?"

"My mother's gone." She stared at Gwen, her violet eyes brimming with tears. "She said she had to go save dad, and then she just left."

Gwen sighed. So today was the day. She'd wondered when Mira had made her time leap into the past in a crazy effort to save Ianto's life. She also knew that the girl's mother wouldn't be coming back. She pulled the little girl into a tight hug, struggling to hide her tears. Though she hadn't known the young time agent well, she had been fond of her.

"It's ok, Seren. You can stay here as long as you need to."

"You can stay in my room!" Annie and Seren looked at each other, full of excitement. This was like a sleepover, only better.

Gwen couldn't help but smile at the girls, even knowing that, someday soon, they would be dragged into her world of chaos and darkness. But for now, they were two eleven-year-old girls, and the world was a beautiful place for them to explore.

* * *

><p><strong>A New Friend<strong>

**Cardiff: August 5, 2028**

Seren Jones, third-year medical student and general prodigy was on her way back to the apartment she shared with the Coopers when she heard something in the alley behind her. It was a new moon, so she had trouble making out the form rummaging through the garbage. But whatever it was, it wasn't human.

"Hello?" she called softly, approaching the alley with dread and curiosity. She could hear the thing warbling to itself, a harsh soft brooding cry that made her shiver. It was like something out of a primal memory deep inside of her. Something remembered by someone else, somehow transferred to her brain.

"Myfanwy?" she asked hesitantly. She had no idea why she said that.

A large beaked head appeared out of the darkness. The pterodactyl rested its great head on top of the girl's, croaking softly to herself. Seren reached up and wrapped her arms around the large reptile's neck, stroking its soft, leathery skin gently.

"Well, you're a big one, aren't you?"

Myfanwy nuzzled her gently, lifting off the ground.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

She grabbed at the pterodactyl's legs, desperate to preserve this moment. Suddenly, Myfanwy grabbed her arm in her talons, lifting her off the ground.

A normal person would have found this sudden flight a reason to panic, but Seren felt oddly calm. It was as if the creature was. . . Someone familiar. A shadow in her life where there had been nothing but loss.

They soared high over the city. The harbor was oddly beautiful in the darkness, the water shimmering with the fairy-dust reflections of the streetlamps and the brighter stars. It was as though the sea was a net of light and coal black.

As they buzzed the hospital, Seren let out a hoot of joy. She waved awkwardly at an elderly patient who saw them through the window. The old woman teetered and passed out. She sighed "Hope the doctors are paying attention tonight."

As Myfanwy lowered her to the ground at last outside her building, the sixteen-year-old smiled at her. "Thank you. I'm sure we'll meet again."


	11. The Fading Light: Broken

**Ianto's World Arc Part 2: The Fading Light**

**Chapter One: Broken**

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Hub, Cardiff: August 12, 2030.<strong>

The digital clock on the wall of the reconstructed hub beeped midnight. The day they had been told Seren and Jack would return was at hand, and everyone had been restless Annie had been pacing by the monitors all evening.

Gwen smiled warmly up at her daughter, brushing a grey strand of hair out of her face. "They'll be here, Annie. Patience."

Annie returned the smile nervously. "You're right."

Her eyes shine with compassion at her mother. While she had only been waiting a few months, the older woman had been waiting patiently for nineteen years. She could not imagine having that kind of strength.

Gwen, on the other hand, felt rather silly. She'd dressed up for this moment. . . but a pretty gown did little to hide her lose, pale skin, and all the makeup in the world wouldn't hide her wrinkles. She had gotten old, and she knew that Jack would probably look exactly the same, the way he always did. It wasn't quite fair.

"Mother?" chirped Annie, drawing her mind back to the present. "I think something's happening."

They stared at the open space in front of the computer desk. The air was shimmering, and they could feel pressure building up. They remembered what this felt like: the rift was opening.

Jack Harkness stepped through the rift, his eyes wild. He may not have aged much, but he seemed to be a completely different man. In his arms, he carried Seren Jones, her head bouncing limply against his muscular arm.

Annie rushed to them, eyes wide. "Seren! Seren! My god. . ."

"She's alive," said Jack gruffly. "Barely. She needs medical treatment, now!"

He carried her to the med bay, laying her out reverently on the table.

Gwen stared at him in shock. "What. . . Happened? Out there."

Jack turned to her, the bright madness in his eyes fading slightly, replaced with fear. "You don't want to know. I promise you. You don't want to know."

She wrapped her arms around him.

He sobbed gently into the top of her head. "God, I missed you so much."

Seren sat up on the table, letting out a horrifying, inhuman scream of pain and torture.

Annie ran to her, grasping at her pale, bony hand. "Seren! Seren, baby, it's ok. I'm here. I'm here. Shh. . . baby, you're home."

Seren stared unseeing into her lover's eyes. "Out of the dark I cry to you, Oh Lord. Oh where does my help come from? My help comes from the flying geezer in the sky. Oh, bring me the bowl and I shall wash myself clean of my sins."

Annie, frightened, turned to her parents. "What's wrong with her?"

Faith ran in after hearing the scream… a scream that terrified her. Her wide brown eyes took in the situation.

"Jack!" she exclaimed, running over to him and hugging him. She looked over at Annie and Seren.

"What happened to her?"

Jack's eyes flashed with fear once more. "When we. . . when she followed me into the rift, it took me a long time to find her. When I did, she was like this. I have no idea what happened to her out there, but she's. . . she's broken. Like a record that only plays backwards. It's almost like she locked herself away inside her mind."

He sighed, watching the girl flail about. Annie had put her in restraints, and was watching her with tear-filled eyes.

"I think she was the lucky one," whispered Jack

Faith looked up at her adoptive father, her eyes narrowing. "Lucky?"

Seren's screams lessened, but she had begun to strain at the tethers so hard that her wrists and ankles were bleeding. "Out of the dark I cry onto you, Oh Lord. Into the night shadows fall and shadows within shadows shifting sands and falling blood tears. . . water twists and flows and I am everything."

Jack gestured to her sadly. "It looks bad, I know. But she. . . she doesn't remember what happened. I do. I would trade places with her in a second."

Faith hugged Jack tighter around the waist, placing her head against his stomach. She wanted so badly to take the pain away from them both. "How can we help her? Help you?"

Seren faded back out of consciousness. Annie threw her arms around her, weeping, her head buried in the other nineteen-year-old's stomach.

"Oh, Ser. My dear, beautiful Seren! What happened to you? How can I make this better?"

Jack smiled sadly down at Faith. "I don't know, Faith. I can't. . . there's nothing I can do to help her. That's the worst of it."

Gwen wrapped his hand in hers. "You brought her back alive. You're still alive. We can fix this, Jack. You have to believe that."

Jack shook his head. Hot tears hit the top of Faith's head. "Is it even worth it any more?"

Faith held him a bit tighter. She wanted to tell him that it was worth it… that what he did what the most heroic thing that she had ever seen…

Jack pulled away from the women and walks over to Seren. Eyes closed, he gently kissed her forehead, stroking her bangs out of her face. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I tried to protect you, but I wasn't strong enough."

Though she was unconscious, Seren smiled.

_"Jack,_" cried a voice from her lips. . . though it was not her voice . . . _"Please take care of her. He's coming. He's coming, and he's even more angry than ever. Please. You have to do it this time. For me. For my. . ."_

As he pulled back, startled, he stared down at Seren's eyes, which were open and clear and. . . green.

"What?" exclaimed Faith. "What's going on? Who's coming?"

"I. . . I'm not sure," replied Jack.

Seren-but-not-Seren laughed, a low throaty chuckle. "_Looks like I finally managed to get the upper hand, Jack._"

Her eyes shut again, and she fell into a deathlike slumber.

Gwen wandered over, limping slightly from an old bullet wound in her leg. "Jack? Is it just me or did that sound like. . ."

He stared up at her, eyes wide with fear. "Get the girls out of here, Gwen. As fast as you can. Gray's coming to visit."

Faith stiffened at the name, her eyes widening. She didn't have to be told twice. She dashed out of the room and to her desk, grabbing her emergency bag.

Annie glared at Jack, her bright blue eyes punctuated with sorrow and rage. "Gray. My uncle. Is he responsible for this?"

Jack smiled sadly at her. "Perhaps. I'm not sure. But I know he would love to hit us hard right about now."

"Then I'm staying," she said, her eyes steely. "I'll help you fight him, dad. That bastard needs to pay for doing this to us."

Gwen nodded. "Me too, Jack. I just got you back. I'm not going anywhere."

Faith returned, her bag thrown over her back. "Where should I go? What about Seren?"

Gwen smiled at the girl. "Here's the keys to the penthouse, Faith. Take Seren and keep her safe. If any of us survive this, we'll be back for you."

She nodded, pulling Seren into a wheeled cart and making for the elevator.

* * *

><p><strong>The Eleven-Day Empire, London: Sept 12, 1752<strong>

Susie woke up in an unfamiliar place. The last thing she remembered was the Battle of Ianto's Flat.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto" muttered Susie. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. Aside from knowing it wasn't Ianto's flat, she didn't have a clue.

Hart smiled down at her. "Good. You're awake. Let's go."

She sighed in annoyance. "Dammit, Next time I want a freaking memo before leaving home. Fine. We're here. Now where the hell is here and why?"

"Oh, come now, Aussie," crooned Hart. "I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Oh crap," she moaned at the sound of his voice. "This, I don't need."

She looked harder at her surroundings. The buildings looked to be a mix of earth style and…

"No…Oh hell no. Bunny, last time I was here it took me three weeks to get out of a damned second, and you expect me to be okay with this? How bout you just kill me right now and save me the pain yes?"

He smiled cheekily at her. "I'd love to, luv, but we don't have the time."

He gestured widely at the unearthly city. "Welcome to the Eleven-Day Empire. Home base of our buddies Faction Paradox. This is where our answers lie. Now do you want to help me stop them from destroying the universe, or are you just going to pout in the corner?"

"You mean I get a choice?" She raised her damaged wrist where her vortex manipulator used to sit. "In case you haven't noticed, you are now the proud owner of one reluctant – and very suspicious – Time Agent. unless you have a spare manipulator somewhere of course. Got any weapons?"

Hart laughed, well, heartily. "You're kidding, right?"

He pulled a laser gun, a cleavage pistol, and ten or so knives out of the front of his shirt. "Happy Christmas, babe. These are for you."

Susie happily secreted the laser gun and the knives about her person. The cleavage pistol she glared at for a moment, before turning the glare on Hart. "You even think about it mate, and I'll see to it that you never desire another living thing again, got it?"

She turned from John for a moment, before turning back and straightening her shoulders. "Right, lead me to the soon-to-be-dead things if you please."

"Not so fast," he replied. "We have an errand to run first."

Susie folded her arms and glared at him. "Start explaining before I reallylose my temper, John. I'm sick of being led around by the teeth."

Hart sighed. "What I did. The bad thing. I'm the reason Ianto Jones was alive. And now Faction Paradox has taken control of the timeline. They have human agents all over the place. We're going to get one of their communicators so we can find out who we have to kill, all right?"

Hart never saw it coming. He looked up from the ground to find Susie looking down at him in fury. Then her face cleared and her smile returned. "Well, Mr. 'I can't let you take me to the agency 'cause I'm off to save the world' piece of shit, let's go already."

They wandered through the deserted streets, which seemed to hum with a malevolence they couldn't place. Even Hart was shaking in fear. Finally, they entered a small building where they found a series of knobs and colored lights.

"This is it."

Susie looked over the communicator. It was similar to others she had used before, but she wasn't sure how long she had to figure out the intricacies of this one. Faction Paradox loved to tweak things. She looked back at John, who hadn't moved from the doorway. "You're gonna do to them what you did to us?"

Hart glanced at her before continuing to scan the outside. "Not me luv. You."

"Forget it mate. That's not my gig at all." She backed away from the controller only to stop abruptly as she felt the press of metal against her back.

She sighed. "Mate, Didn't we do this dance last time?"

The gun didn't move. "There are too many Paradox agents for us to move around properly," Hart hissed. "If you don't have the guts to kill them before they kill you then walk out that door and fight. I can guarantee you won't last thirty seconds that way. Or you can do it my way and we might just make it out of here alive. Your choice luv."

Susie rolled her eyes. "I got a third option: How bout I go back in time and make sure Ianto dies like he's supposed to, then things can go back to how they were. That's a much better option from where I'm standing. Wanna lose the gun? not like I can go anywhere."

"I don't think so. If we mess about with the timeline any more, who knows what could happen. No, the only way to fix this is to obliterate. . ." He paused, looking down at his wrist strap. It was glowing. "Shit. We're running out of time."

Susie coughed. "If anyone ever finds out I did this, I'm telling them you held me at gunpoint."

Susie returned to the communicator and began pressing buttons. Thirty seconds later she stepped back and turned to Hart, her face pasty white and sweat running down her cheek. "Ready to go. Take off your manipulator a minute. I don't wanna find out the hard way that I fucked this up." She swallowed hard against the bile in her throat.

"No problem." He tried to remove the manipulator, but found that the buckle was now burning into his flesh. "Shit. Hang on." He grabbed Susie and teleported them out.

* * *

><p><strong>The Cooper Penthouse, Cardiff: August 13, 2030<strong>

Faith wheeled Seren into the penthouse, twelve stories above the reconstructed hub. After closing and locking the door behind her, Faith brought the still unconscious woman into the living room and laid her down on the floor. She set her bag down by the wall and then went to one of the closets and grabbed a blanket for Seren.

As the nine-year-old lay the blanket over the woman's still form, she couldn't help but wonder just what happened to her to make her this way.

"That was a very brave thing for you to do, Ser," she whispered.

She looked her over. It seemed only yesterday Seren had been a child. She looked calm and peaceful, but Faith knew that her dreams may never be pleasant again.

"I wish there was something I could do for you, Seren." She placed a hand lightly, almost not even touching, on the woman's shoulder. "If I had known that this would be the outcome of your actions, I would have jumped into that vortex, if only to save you from the suffering that you have experienced."

Seren did not stir.

Faith wasn't entirely sure why she was saying any of it. After all, the woman couldn't hear her. The girl removed her hand from the woman's shoulder and turned to her bag.

She pulled out a small book and a pen. The book was worn and old in appearance, but remarkably well taken care of. There was a red ribbon in the pages, marking a specific spot. Faith opened it to the page marked by the red ribbon and began to write.

_Today Seren and Jack returned to us. But we were, by no means, prepared for how they did return. Both are… it is hard to find words to describe just how scared Seren is or the haunted look that is in Jack's eyes. They appear to have gone though a psychological hell. Jack says that Seren went though the worst of it and that she doesn't remember what happened to her. But he does._

_If I had known that this was to be the result of Seren going to help Jack, I would have jumped into the Rift. Seren is like a little sister to me. I hate seeing her in pain._

_And then Seren–well, someone told us this though Seren–said that Gray was coming. Just writing that sends shivers down my spine… The last time… that monster came, he came for blood. He won't willingly go down._  
><em>But then again, he never has.<em>

Faith closed her eyes and the book, being sure to mark her page with the ribbon.

Seren stirred, waking up gently this time. Her eyes had returned to violet, but she did not seem to be lucid. "Wind and flame and boiling seas. Hail death, destruction, fly to me. The waters break and towers fall until the darkness has them all. . ."

Faith slowly approached her. "Seren?"

"The earth will crumble, air will burn. Too late, the broken man returns."

As Faith was watching the older girl with concern, she failed to notice the man enter the apartment.

"Good to know someone remembers. I was afraid you'd forgotten about me, darling."

Faith jumped at the voice and turned quickly around to face the new arrival. "Gray!"

The young man smiled fiercely, his brown eyes glowing with barely-hidden rage.

Faith positioned herself between Gray and Seren. "What are you doing here?" she growled.

He laughed bitterly. "Relax, Faithlet. I'm just here to get what's mine. Another thing my brother stole from me."

She flinched at the pet name, but continued to protect Seren. "Another thing Jack took from you?"

Seren crawled away from them, her eyes wide in fear. As Faith looked down, she saw that Seren had left a puddle of urine on the floor where she'd been lying.

"Hmm," mused Gray. "I wasn't done playing with her yet."

He grabbed Faith by the arm firmly, pulling up her sleeve to reveal the unhealed wounds on her arm. He smirked. "You remember what it's like to play with me, don't you? And when my brother showed up. . . well, I became very upset. No one takes what's mine any more. If anyone's doing the taking, it's me."

Faith's eyes widened, realization hitting her. Her face collapsed into a frown. "You bastard!"

He chuckled. "Now, now. That isn't playing very nice, my undead little kitten. I knew my father. If anyone's the bastard here, it's you."

He hurled her against the wall and moved in towards Seren. She was shaking in the far corner of the room, muttering to herself.

Angry beyond all telling, Faith jumped between the two. She growled like a lioness who's young was in danger. "You will not touch her."

She knew she couldn't defeat him by herself. Where was everybody?

Gray smiled like a skull. "Well, then. I suppose I'll just have to do to you what I did to the others. It's a pity. I was looking forward to so much fun with you, kitten."

Faith growled again, all of the martial arts training that Gwen put her though coming to mind.

Gray just laughed. "Aren't you curious about your friends? I went after Anwen first. Can you believe, my manwhore brother's child and she was still a virgin?"

Seren cried out in rage, then started sobbing, broken and powerless.

"Her mother put up a fight, of course, but old bones being what they are, she isn't likely to walk again. Of course my brother watched the whole thing. I've found chains to work rather well on him. Bastard probably even enjoyed it a little. But not as much as I did."

Faith was beginning to see red. She was just barely under control. "What did you do to Annie? What did you do to my sister?"

Gray grinned. "I promised I would take everything from him. Jack never listened. But you. . . oh, Faith, you are a treasure."

He was enjoying himself so much that he almost seemed to be getting aroused by his own evil.

He didn't notice that Seren had stood, her eyes glowing bright green. "_Faith. Run. Get out of here. I'll take care of this wanker_."

Faith looked quickly back at the girl. "Seren?" She couldn't remember a time when Seren had ever called anyone a wanker…

Seren shook her head, the voice emenating from her taking on a tone of exasperation. "_If you aren't going to leave, stand back. Jack would never forgive me if you got hurt._"

She turned to Gray, her voice fragmenting, as though two people are speaking out of the same voicebox. "_You thought you could have her. You thought I would let you kill me and then you would take her for yourself. But you forgot one thing. I've been protecting her for nineteen years. Waiting for time to catch up with me._"

She raised her arms, and all the furniture in the room hovered around her. She smiled cruelly. "_These girls are my family. You stay away from them_."

"I can kill you again, you know," hissed Gray.

She hurled the furniture at him. "_Stay away from my daughter!_" she bellowed.

Faith was stunned by the ferocity of the attack.

Sarah had been heading to the front door, about to knock, when she heard yelling. She tried the door, but it was locked.

"Oh for the love of Gallifrey!" she exclaimed. Briefly wondering why she'd say that, she shook her head and kicked at the door, managing after a couple tries to get it open, and rushed into the living room. "Faith? Faith? Oh… Seren! What the…"

She looked angrily at Gray. "Who the hell are you?"

"Sarah!" screamed Faith. "Move away from him!"

Jack burst in behind her just as Seren collapsed in a heap. "Gray. What have you done?"

Gray rolled his eyes, pulling a large splinter out of his arm with a slight moan. "Oh, great. And now the cavalry has arrived. I think this is a good time for me to just. . ."

He vanished.

Jack ran to the girls. "Faith! Are you hurt? Is everyone ok?"

Faith moved Seren into a comfortable position. She was in shock now. The fight had left. She refused to answer Jack's questions. Faith looked down at her shaking hands and clenched them into fists. She told herself long ago she would never let herself break down in front of Jack.

Sarah stood there, just watching for a moment. "Jack, who was that? What's going on now?"

She moved over to see if she could help Seren. "Seren, sweetie, it's ok, alright?"

Brushing her hair back from her face, she saw her eyes slowly fade from green to violet.

It is then that Faith realized her sleeve is still pulled up, exposing all of the unhealed wounds of the past…a past she would rather forget. She quickly passed out. As Faith collapsed, she felt strong arms wrap around her.

"What's this then, Jack?" cried the Doctor, wrapping his leather jacket about the girl. "I leave you alone for five minutes, and I walk in to this?"

Jack stared at the tall, gangly man in shock. "Doctor? But the last time I saw you. . ."

He held a finger to his mouth. "Don't. Jack, don't. It might not have been me. Especially since you don't smell the same. Are you immortal now? That's fantastic!"

"Doctor!" He smacked the Time Lord on the back. "God, I've missed you."


	12. TFL: Your Mother's Daughter

**Your Mother's Daughter**

* * *

><p><strong>The Cooper Penthouse, Cardiff<strong>

The Doctor smiled warmly at Jack. "So, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, Jack?"

He looked around at all the destruction. "Let's see. . . naturally you have a harem. Funny thing though. Where are all the men?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. You're hilarious. Now, great as it is to see you, can you tell me what you're doing here?"

"I'm not sure, exactly. Left Rose at home so she could visit her family. You and I were exploring when suddenly you vanished. Whoosh. Wiped from existence. I did a scan for your vortex manipulator and followed it here. Found your daughter, and here I am. Beautiful girl, by the way. You're one lucky dad."

Jack smiled at the compliment to Annie. But as he processed the rest, his eyes narrowed. "I poofed out of existence?"

The Doctor smiled. "Not my choice of words, but you are kind of a poof."

"And proud of it! But, seriously? I vanished? I don't remember that."

Faith stirred in the Doctor's arms. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Wh.. What happened?"

Jack smiled at her reassuringly. "It's ok, Faith. He's a friend."

The Doctor smirked. "He'd like to think that I'm more than that, but not for lack of him trying."

Jack sighed. "Right. . . anyway, he's here to help us."

Faith looked up at the person holding her. He looked…familiar… "Doctor…?"

He beamed at her. "The very same! Good to see you again, Miss Faith!"

Jack shook his head. Of course they knew each other. "Doctor, since you're here, do you think you could help us fix what's wrong with Seren?"

"You do realize I'm not really medical, don't you?" he asked with a slight frown.

Jack nodded. "Oh, I'd say this goes beyond medical." He led the Doctor over to Seren.

The Doctor knelt down, examining her closely. "Clearly, her body has suffered a great deal of trauma. How did you say this happened?"

Jack smiled gently. "I didn't. She was trapped in the Rift with me and my psychotic little brother."

The Doctor looked back at Jack, sorrow and a certain lingering darkness in his eyes. It was clear that Jack cared a great deal for this girl.

"Hang on. What's this?" The Doctor noticed a slight bit of residue around Seren's mouth. He touched it with his finger and tasted it delicately on the tip of his tongue. "Beyond medical is right. This girl's a hotbed of temporal energy. No wonder she's ill."

Faith stared at him. "Hotbed of temporal energy? What does that mean?"

The door opened again, and Susie stuck her head in quickly. Her face reflected relief at finding familiar faces. "Thank God for that! Took a wrong turn back there and saw an older couple in a position I do not ever want to see again. Ever! Mind if I bring a stray?"

She moved farther into the room. Hart rushed in after her. The Doctor glared at the new arrivals.

"I thought you said you'd left the Time Agency, Jack."

Hart smirked. "Oh, he did. That's why they're here. Came for him and me, actually. But you'd know a thing or two about being hunted by your own kind, wouldn't you, Doctor?"

"I would at that, yeah." He turned to Faith. "As I was about to explain, this woman's body is full of rift energy. Time and space and all the stuff in between are flowing through her. And she can't control it or stop it. It's boiling out of her. And it will kill her if we can't find a way to stop it."

Faith nodded, thinking. "So how can we help her, then? We need to make sure she doesn't boil from the energy, obviously."

Susie frowned, thinking. "Can we find a vessel strong enough to hold the rift energy and siphon it out of her?"

The Doctor beamed at her. "Fantastic! For a time agent, you've got a pretty first-class noggin! Hey, Jack?"

"Hmm?" he replied, glancing up at the Time Lord.

"I have an idea."

Jack looked at him. While the Doctor didn't know yet, Jack had long since learned how the Doctor got temporal energy out of Rose's body. His eyes grew wide.

"No. I'll do it. I'm immortal, remember?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "And this has nothing to do with wanting to kiss her, right?"

Jack glared at him. "Look, if I don't do it, my daughter or you will. And it could kill both of you. So it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. That's it. Seren's like a second daughter to me. And incest is one thing that has never been on the menu. Ever."

Susie smirked. "You could always get Bunny to do it. He's expendable!"

Hart gulped. "Hey now! I'd rather watch, thank you."

Jack chuckled. "I always thought you were more hands-on, John."

Hart coloured. "Well, that was –"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Get on with it already!"

Jack sighed, then scooped Seren into his arms and planted a soft, chaste kiss on her lips. The rift energy surged out of her and into him, filling his body. He shuddered at the force of it, his skin glowing slightly. Then he fell over, stone dead.

Faith crouched next to Jack. She didn't touch him, but waited for him to wake like he always did. Susie started counting down to herself. Her curiosity also knew no bounds.

This time, however, Jack didn't seem to want to revive. As minutes turned to hours, everyone began to lose heart.

Susie had been keeping an eye on the girls. Seren appeared to be okay, but it was hard to tell since she hadn't woken. Faith remained where she was, beside Jack on the floor. Hart she particularly kept an eye on – he wasn't the most patient of men, even on a good day.

Suddenly, Gwen and Annie burst through the door.

"Oh, hell no!" cried Gwen. "You are not pulling that shit on me again, Jack!" She ran over to his crumpled body. As she was about to kiss him, the Doctor pulled her back.

"Wait! Don't touch him. We don't know what will happen."

Gwen glared at him, her eyes full of fire. "Listen. I've waited nineteen years for this bastard to come back from the Rift. Nineteen years of raising our daughter by myself, running Torchwood by myself, and clinging to a thread of a promise that he made me. He told me he loved me before he left. Gave me his vortex manipulator. More than half of me was sure he wasn't coming back. But I held on and fought and slaved away every fucking day in the hopes that someday he would actually come back. Now he's been home less than a day, and now he's gone and done this. No one, and I mean NO ONE is going to keep me away from him today. Is that clear?"

The Doctor stared at her in shock. Then he grinned. "No wonder he settled down. Well, go on then. But if you die, I'll be sure to say I told you so."

Gwen nodded and kissed Jack full on the lips. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, slowly, the color began to return to his face. Where their lips touched, a faint glow seemed to escape, growing brighter and brighter until. . .

Gwen fell on top of Jack, unconscious. The Doctor leaned down and worriedly checked her pulse. Then he smiled.

"She's alive."

Susie rolled her eyes. "Weell, now that that's all settled, think you can find me something to kill?"

"I think I can arrange that," groaned Jack weakly, "but can someone get these women off me first?"

The Doctor laughed heartily. "Never thought I'd hear that from you, Jack!"

"Yeah, well, people change." He sats up gently so as not to wake Gwen and Seren. Then, to his surprise, he looked at Gwen and saw. . . "Gwen? How did. . . what?"

She had reverted back to the age she was when they met.

* * *

><p><strong>The Cooper Penthouse, Cardiff: Morning of August 14, 2030<strong>

Faith smiled for the first time since Gray arrived. "So, she'll be ok, right?"

Jack shook his head. "I don't know, Faith. We'll have to see what happens when she. . ."

Gwen woke and glared at him, her eyes aflame. She smacked him hard across the face. "Don't you EVER scare me like that again!"

Jack rubbed his cheek. " . . . wakes up," he finished weakly.

The Doctor smiled at them. "She's quite a piece of work, Jack. Good for you!"

Seren moaned softly, raising her head. Her eyes have reverted to violet. "I can hear. . . someone. . . screaming in my head. It hurts! But. . .whispers. Cling to the truth. Faith! Faith!"

Faith dashed to Seren's side. "I'm here, Seren. I'm here."

Seren reached up and felt Faith's face roughly, as if not seeing her. "Miracle child. Daughter of Chaos. Weeper of the Waking Sleep. Dead-not-dead. You are your mother's daughter."

Faith's eyes widened. "What? Seren, my parents died long ago. How could you know that I'm my mother's daughter? I never knew her."

"I looked into time and time looked into me. I gave breath and breath breathed chaos into the world. I know your mother. And you know your mother. But your mother doesn't know you."

"What?" She grasped her head and closed her eyes tightly. This wasn't making any sense. Seren's words buzzed in her head like angry bees. None of them added up.

"Maybe I can help," murmured the Doctor. He put his hand on Faith's shoulder. "I know who your mother is. I was there when you were born."

Faith removed her hands from her head and looked up at him. "You were there…?"

He nodded. "Yes. I was. See, your mother was a companion of mine. We were traveling together when the TARDIS brought us to St. James Parish. There was a bad case of mysterious happenings in the area. Children going missing and things like that. We did what we could to find out what was going on. Around that time, my companion went missing. When we met back up, weeks later, they were pregnant."

He paused, smiling sadly at her. "We never meant to leave you behind. But the TARDIS rejected you."

Faith stared at him, hurt in her eyes. "The TARDIS… rejected… me? Why?"

"The TARDIS isn't very fond of things that don't make sense. Your very existence was a temporal and physical anomaly, even before you died. Because your mother. . . your mother is in this room right now."

"You are your mother's daughter!" cried Seren. "Your mother's daughter! Things are that were never meant to be."

Faith was stunned. "What?" Faith looked at Jack, her face alight with confusion. "What the hell is going on?"

"Oh come now," groaned the Doctor. "You mean your mother really doesn't remember?" He looked pointedly at Jack.

He stares at the Time Lord in confusion. "Huh?"

"Jack, you forgot? How? You whined about the whole thing for months, you big baby."

"What? But I. . . no. Oh, that's not even funny."

Hart laughed like a hyena. "You're a mommy? Oh, that is just too rich."

Susie had been sitting in the corner this whole time, and at this revalation she collapsed onto her side, both hands covering her mouth to stifle her laughter.

Suddenly, Faith's fist collided with Jack's face. "Liar!"

She stood up and glared at everyone. "That's impossible. That's…. IMPOSSIBLE!" She wanted to run away. Run away and never look back.

Jack looked at her blankly. "Faith? I didn't know. I honestly didn't know. I never found out what happened to that child. We left her in the care of the parish priest. Please, Faith. You have to believe me."

If Faith could cry she would. She couldn't stand it anymore. With one last look, she turned and ran out of the room, the penthouse, and down the street, her hair flying behind her. She didn't look back.

"Faith. . ." murmered Jack, a pained look on his face. He started after her, but the Doctor grabbed his arm.

"Let her go. She needs time to think. So do you."

Sarah had hung back, merely watching, out of habit.

"Maybe I should go after Faith?" She looked to Jack, smiling slightly, reassuringly.

He nodded at Sarah. "Thank you."

Nodding to everyone and taking one last glance at the so-familiar Doctor, Sarah took off after Faith, running through her mind where the girl could have gone…

Susie smirked. "Oh Jack, I haven't had this much fun in years! Thing is, now I'm wondering – just who is the poor girl's father?"

Jack stared at Susie. "I have no idea. I don't remember any of what happened before the Doctor found me."

The Doctor frowned. "Well, now. I think we should probably start figuring out what we're going to do. It seems to me like you all have screwed pretty ridiculously with time. Stupid humans."

Susie, hearing the Doctors statement, immediately raised her hand in the air, waving it around excitedly. "Ooh, ooh, I know who's to blame for this! It's mmphh…"

She glared at Hart over the hand he had just clamped to her mouth.

* * *

><p><strong>A Side Alley, Cardiff: August 14, 2030<strong>

Faith finally stopped running in an unfamiliar side street. She sat on the ground, panting. "This has to be a joke. A huge joke."

She rested her head on her knees, Gray's words from earlier that day running though her mind.

_Bastard child…_

She squeezed her eyes shut as her chest lurched, trying to sob.

"Aww," crooned Gray. "Looks like someone got some bad news. Want to talk to me about it? Maybe I can help."

Faith's head snapped up, her eyes wide as she jumped up from the ground. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled. If it wasn't Gray, the look could almost be called kind. "Come on. I know someone who's dying to meet you."

Faith stayed where she was. "Why should I believe you? I want to be alone."

"Because it will explain some things," he replied. "Who you really are, for instance. Your destiny."

"My destiny…" she mused. For some reason, that statement infuriated her. "I have no destiny. I'm just a bastard child."

Gray's smile turned darker. "One way or another, you're coming with me. Make up your mind. I was going to do this the nice way, but I suppose I could bring just your head."

Faith staggered back, then lowered her head. "Alright… But you have to swear you'll leave the others alone."

He nodded. "For now. Come. My master wants to meet you."

She walked over to him, hoping that this wasn't another ploy…or worse, a joke. She was tired and too weak to fight him. "Ok."

"Not if I have anything to do with it!" cried Sarah, breathless from running. She stepped in front of the girl, glaring at Gray. "Your master will have to do without her. There's a reason I was once called The Fearless One…"

Faith looked at Sarah with sad eyes. "Leave me be, Sarah. I have nothing to lose."

"Of course you do! We're your family, and I won't stand for this…" Sarah smiled softly at the girl, then turned back to Gray.

"You have no idea what or whom you're up against, do you? I'm far older and stronger than I appear…"

Gray glared at her. "Fearless One, or Foolish One? Doesn't really matter. You'll die where you stand if you get in my way."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with dread.

"No!" screamed Faith. "Don't hurt her! You promised!"

Gray gripped Faith's arm tightly. "It's too late for promises. And I don't have to hurt her. My master will do it for me. And he's been after that bitch for a long, long time."

Faith's eyes grew wide as she struggled. "SARAH! No! Run! Leave me! PLEASE!"

Sarah glared at Gray. "I'd let go of her, if I were you…"

She moved slightly, distracting Gray.

"Jack trusted me to come after you, and I'm not going to let some brat scare me…"

He grinned at her menacingly. "Well, I'll be. She is a fiery one, isn't she. Maybe I should keep her and let that Jones bitch go, eh, Faith?"

Faith froze. "Please. Stop this. You have me. I'll come willingly. You can do what ever you wish to me. Please, don't hurt them."

Sarah smirked at Jack's younger brother. "Do you have any idea, what you're doing? Why couldn't your master come get her? You're just a lackey… He's using you."

_Faith…can you hear me? God, I wish you could…_

Faith's eyes widened even more at the voice in her head. Her head snapped around, looking for the voice.

_What…?_

Gray hissed. "For your information, my master can't move outside the rift on his own yet. And. ..what are you doing?"

Smiling, Sarah walked in a semi circle in front of Gray.

_Good, you can hear me! I'm going to distract him, but you're going to have to act fast…. kick him where it hurts, bite him… as soon as he lets go, run and get help!_

_No! I can't leave you here alone! Please, Sarah. Go!_

"What are you talking about?" asked Sarah to Gray.

_I'm talking about this,_ he hissed to them both. _Idiots._

_No, Faith, I will be fine… Do what I said, as if I were the Doctor…oh, hell…_ "Faith, just do it and run!" she screamed.

She suddenly rushed forward, doing her best to at least knock Gray off balance.

Faith kicked Gray as hard as she could, trying to wrench her arm free. She screamed in pain as his grip only tightened, pulling her down with him.

Sarah moved back. She was hoping to slow him down. Then she realized that if Faith and Gray could hear her, maybe someone else could,

_Hello? Can anyone else hear me? I need help, Gray has Faith!_

"Now you've done it," Gray snarled. He pressed a small button hidden on his belt, and pulled both of the women with him into the rift.


	13. TFL: Fighting Paradox

**Fighting Paradox**

* * *

><p><strong>The Cooper Penthouse, Cardiff: August 14, 2011<strong>

The Doctor stopped abruptly in mid-sentence, staring at the wall in surprise. Jack looked at him with concern, and was about to speak when the Doctor shushed him.

"Jack," he asked, his eyes wide, "how quickly can your team be ready?"

Jack smirked slightly. "We're always ready. Why?"

"We need to move out. Your daughter and Sarah are in danger."

Susie rose in one swift movement, ready to go. "Where and when Mate? I'm good to go."

The others nod in agreement and followed the Doctor as he dashed out the door, pulling his leather jacket on as he ran.

* * *

><p>The team headed for the alley where Sarah's signal seemed to have come from. When they got there, the Doctor looked around, concern evident on his face.<p>

Anwen frowned at the empty alley. "Where is she? Where's Faith?"

The Doctor sighed, his eyes brimming with bitterness. "She's been taken. To what end, I can only guess."

"This is all my fault," moaned Jack, leaning against the brick. "This is all my fault. I should have stopped her."

Gwen put a hand on his shoulder. "Jack, please. Calm down."

He spun around, eyes wild with self-hatred and anger. "Calm down? In case you haven't noticed, Gwen, I've had a hell of a day. First Seren, the Faith, and you. . ."

Gwen stared at him in shock, taking a step back. "Me_ what_? What is it, Jack?"

He gulped, trying to control himself. He didn't have the heart to tell her that she was young again, and how terrified he was of what that implied.

Susie rounded on Jack furiously, slapping him. "Dammit Jack, we don't have time for your crap! Focus on finding the girls. You can fall apart later alright?"

She turned to the Doctor. "You sound like you know what's going on mate. So why don't you share with the class, and then we can get on with it, huh?"

The doctor beamed at her. He had always been a sucker for the strong-willed ones. "Alright. Alright. No need to get testy. Faith and Sarah are probably in the rift right now. What we need is a solid plan to get them out. And with Jack being Captain Neurotic over there, that leaves me in charge. Ok. So, all we need to do is get into the rift, find the girls, and get them out." He grinned widely. "Be back in time for supper!"

Susie nodded in agreement. "So simple even the baby can follow it! Now for the million dollar questions, Can you get us in there? And can we ditch the whinger?"

The Doctor flashed her a signature grin. "Well, that's where there's a bit of a conundrum, see? The TARDIS doesn't like the rift. Won't go in it. And the sonic's not powerful enough to take its place. Maybe if we had. . ."

Anwen held out her wrist. "A rift manipulator?"

He stares at her in shock. "You modified a vortex manipulator for use in the rift? Fantastic! Jack, can I keep her?"

Jack looked up at the Doctor. "Well, why no—"

Gwen coughed at the men. "Aw, hell no! She's my daughter too. And I need her here."

Susie looked long and hard at Jack and Gwen. "Gwen, come with. Jack, how bout you stay here with Seren yeah? Someone's gotta make sure she's safe. Doc? Don't touch the girl, or things are gonna get ugly."

He held his hands up in protest. "That wasn't remotely. . ."

Jack smirked slightly at this. Annie would have given the Doctor more than a run for his money, of that he was certain.

Susie then turned her glare on Hart. "John, you're with us. If you even THINK about screwing this up, I will shoot your balls to kingdom come got it? Annie, how bout you take us in then?"

Hart gulped hard and nodded.

Annie glared at Susie. "I don't take orders from the Time Agency." She laughed at the look of indignation on Susie's face. "Naw! Just joshin' ya. Let's go. Grab hold of me, everyone."

She hit a few buttons and the team teleported into the rift.

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the Rift: Outside of Time<strong>

As Gray dragged the women with him into the rift, horrifying images of past and future events flooded their brains. He was pulling them through a veritable museum of horror. The nearer they got to the heart of the rift, the more graphic these images became.

Faith squeezed her eyes shut, trying desperately to block the images from her consciousness. However, nothing she did worked. She began to pray… it was all she could do.

A disembodied voice, deep and angry as the sea, called out to Gray. _"Excellent, my son. Excellent. You will be rewarded for your service._"

Gray bowed to the voice. "My lord and master."

_"Twenty lashes_," ordered the voice. "_Let him bleed into the Rift._"

Gray smiled in joy. "Thank you, my master!" He vanished, leaving the women alone in the rift with the voice.

Faith's eyes peeked open, her lips still moving in a rapid prayer. She did not know what to expect, and that made her very nervous.

"_Ah, let me look at you. . . yes. Yes_," crooned the voice. "_You are so beautiful and dark_."

Mist gathered and began to take form. Standing before Faith and the unconscious Sarah was a tall man, crowned with a helmet which seemed to be the skullbone of some terrible beast. He caressed Faith's cheek.

"You have grown proud and strong with your life on earth. And I see that you still have no idea what you are. Or what great purpose you were born for."

Faith flinched at the touch, but was too terrified to move away. Her entire body was frozen…save for her mouth that continued muttering a prayer.

"_Oh God come to my assistance…Oh Lord make haste to help me…_"

The figure chuckled. "No one's coming, my dear one. No one to help you. Just me. Why don't you tell me what they call you on that miserable planet, hmm?"

Faith swallowed, looking at Sarah. She had to speak, she had to be brave. For both their sakes.

"I am called Faith," she replied softly.

The figure laughed, his glowing amber eyes narrowed in mirth. "And who gave you _that_ name? Let me guess. Your mother abandoned you with a priest, didn't he? Shamelessly left you all on your own. Why do you love him, Daughter Faith?" He placed a hand on her shoulder. "We would never leave you alone, child."

Faith looked up at him. She could not look away. Pain swam in her eyes, making them almost sheen as if she had tears. "Yes, he left me."

She closed her eyes, whispering. "I love him, because he's all I have. Everyone else is gone."

Finally, the figure's last statement registered in her mind. Her brown eyes locked with his. "You… wouldn't have… abandoned me?"

"No, daughter. You are of our kind. We look after our own. If not for that man, and his friend the Doctor, we could have spared you so much pain."

Faith nodded, mesmerized. "The Doctor…" she stopped, her eyes narrowing. "But he has always been kind to me." Her eyes widened. "Wait… one of your kind? Daughter? What exactly are…you. . . am I?"

He placed a gauntleted hand on her shoulder. "Yes. It is so sad that they have deceived you. Kept the truth from you for so long. I am Godfather Morlock, of the House of Paradox. And you are my daughter, whom I have been trying to guard and help for so long."

"House of…" Faith leapt away from the man, her hand flying to her chest. "No!"

Morlock stood tall, arms outstretched to her. "Why do you run from me? Don't you know that you cannot escape your destiny? You are of Faction Paradox! Immortal, beautiful, built for so much more than your miserable human life!"

Faith rubbed her chest as if someone had stabbed her. "No! I can't be from Faction Paradox!" She fell to her knees. "I just can't…"

This was becoming too much. First Jack and now this. The weight of all of this revelation was becoming increasingly more painful and heavy.

Morlock pulled her into a tight embrace. "You are so much more than this," he whispered gently in her ear. "You can be the most powerful being in existence. You were created for so much more. Please, listen to me."

Every nerve in her body was screaming to get away from him….but she just couldn't. She almost wanted to hear what he had to say. She opened her mouth, but no words escaped, so she merely nodded into his chest. She could hear his twin hearts beat.

He spoke to her, his deep voice rumbling against her body. "My dear daughter. We have been trapped in this rift for far too long, unable to take physical form. For what crime? Simply for bringing_ balance_ to the universe. Order cannot exist without chaos. Life cannot truly exist without death. We are the arbiters of peace. And to save the world from devastation, we created you, a miracle child of time lord and human, to free us from our bondage. When you died, at nine years old, you were to be reborn, a creature of dark and powerful beauty. But the Doctor, in his infinite shortsightedness, prevented it. He forced you to remain trapped in this frail little body, weak and broken."

He caressed her hair. "He forced your darker self into the void. Into hell itself. Tore your soul to pieces. And in so doing, he destroyed everything you could have been. The Doctor is not your friend, Faith."

Faith's eyes widened once more in shock. "My darker self? You mean that…. that Death is…Me?"

He nodded. "You have many names in our legends. Some call you the_ Reaper._ Others the _Weeper of the Waking Sleep_. You are the embodiment of all that man fears and immortal desires. And you are beautiful."

Faith threw herself out of his arms in fright. "No! I–I don't want to be that! Death… I am Faith."

She stumbled back as he leaned over her, eyes blazing.

At that moment, Team Torchwood materialized.

"Stay away from her, Morlock!" bellowed the Doctor, stormy eyes blazing with rage and authority. "You are not welcome to her. She is under my protection."

Susie smirked at Faith, leveling her particle gun at Morlock. "Hey Faith-Girl, didn't think we'd leave you to face this alone did you?"

Faith's head snapped around to see the team's arrival. But her beam of joy quickly faded to anguish. "Doctor…"

He smiled sadly at her. "Whatever he's told you Faith, don't listen to him."

Susie nodded in agreement. "First rule of dealing with the psychos honey: never ever pay attention to what they say, hear me? You live longer when you remember that one!"

Suddenly, Faith balled her fists in anger, brown eyes ablaze. "Or what? For the love… _Ugh!_ Why does every one still consider me a child! Someone who needs saving all the time! I can make my own choices!" She glowered at the Doctor. "Why should I believe a word you say, hm?"

Everyone stared at her in shock.

The Doctor stared at her with pained, haunted eyes. "I was. . . I was trying to keep you safe. Faith, you are so much better than them. They are dark and evil and twisted. And they do nothing but rape and hurt the people who love you. There's a reason they're locked up in the rift. I put them there."

Faith's anger began to simmer. She was unsure of who to believe, who to trust. "Why?" she asked softly.

She looked from the Doctor to Morlock. "Why? Why do I still exist?" She paused, staring at her feet. "Maybe it would have been better if I died and stayed dead."

Susie marched up to the girl and slapped her smartly across the mouth. "How dare you! You just finished telling us you weren't a child, and now you come out with this! What are you Faith? Make up your mind already!"

"Faith!" cried Jack. "Never, never ever say that."

Everyone looked around in shock. They were sure Jack had stayed behind. He stepped into the room, wiping blood from his face.

"How did you. . .?" asked Annie, blue eyes wide.

He grinned at her, trying to hide the pain. "Best part of immortality? I _walked_ here."

He turned to his other daughter. "I'm sorry, Faith, that I didn't tell you. I didn't know that you were the same girl. I promise. And if I had known, I would have brought you into my family sooner. Spiky-head over here's right about one thing: you are amazing and beautiful. And you deserve better. Please forgive me."

Faith was shocked by the strike as well as Jack's arrival. She didn't move.

Jack turned to Morlock. "As for you, I only have one thing to ask: What the hell? There are so, so many women on earth. Do you know how painful pregnancy is? You bastard! Why me?"

Morlock laughed. "Because, Jack. You too are a part of our plan."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, suddenly confused.

"We created you too. You and your brother both."

Jack gasped. "That's impossible. I'm human. I know I'm human."

Morlock walked towards him slowly. "Who do you think invaded the Boeshane Peninsula? Who took your brother? Who slaughtered your parents as they cried in fear, their only comfort that you and Gray were safe? If you are what your past made you,_ we_ made your past. You too are our son, in a way."

Faith spat at him. "Now that's the most elaborate lie I've heard all day."

Susie looked at Faith in approval. "Atta Girl! You learned that lesson better than Mira did!"

Morlock stared at his daughter, at her mother. "What do you mean? Why do you defy us? We are Gods of Chaos!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Nope. You're just a ball of gas, Morlie. And that's all you'll ever be."

He pointed the sonic at Morlock, who misted back into the Rift, howling all the way.

"Doctor, you bastard! You can't stop us so easily!"

"Oh yeah? Well, let me tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm going to fix this timeline that you and your kind have demolished. I'm gonna protect my friends. And when it's all over, you're gonna remember why you_ begged_ me to put you in here."

Faith marched to the Doctor's side. Her game face had returned. Jack placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

Annie nodded at the Doctor. "What's the plan?"

"And when can I kill him?" replied Gwen, eyes narrowed at the spot Morlock had stood.

The Doctor grinned. "Let's go back to my place first, ok?"

Annie smiled. "Best thing I've heard all day."

She teleported them out.

No one noticed, however, that a dark shadow had slipped out of the rift after them.

Death was riding shotgun once more.


	14. TFL: Restoring The Timeline

**Restoring the Timeline**

* * *

><p><strong>A Dark Alley, Cardiff: August 15, 2030<strong>

The group traveled though the rift without difficulty…at least until they arrived at their destination.

Jack, Faith, and Sarah tumbled out of the Vortex, rolling limb over limb on the ground. When they finally stopped, they looked up to see the blue police box of the TARDIS in front of them.

"What was that?" muttered Faith, dusting herself off.

Jack got to his feet and helped his daughter up as well. His eyes warily scanned the area around them. "I don't know. But something doesn't feel kosher."

He knocked on the door to the TARDIS. When nobody answered, he grabbed the handle and attempted to yank the door open. It refused to budge.

Sarah finally woke and staggered over to lean against the TARDIS. "I'm so sorry Faith, I should have tried harder…it won't open, Jack? Hmm….I wonder…"

She moved over, lightly patting the TARDIS.

_It's okay, old girl…what's wrong? Wait…what am I doing?_

The moment Sarah touched the TARDIS with her mind, she was thrown backwards as if a hand had slapped her entire body away.

"Ow! That never happened before…wait, what am I saying?" She gingerly picked herself up, curiously checking herself. She didn't seem to be really hurt at all.

_You're protecting me, right? What's going on now?_

"I believe I can answer that for you, Foolish One."

Sarah jumped at the voice. "Faith? What's….It's not her, Jack…that's not Faith! What do you mean, by Foolish One?"

The others spun around to the new voice. Faith's eyes widened as she saw the newcomer take a physical form from its previously misty appearance.

The woman that stood before them had long brown hair and dark brown eyes. Her face was remarkably similar to Faith's, but much older. She appeared to be in her late teens, possibly early twenties, and was wearing black armor that was curiously lacking its gloves.

She smirked. "Your precious TARDIS is under the control of my Father. She is keeping you out… so I can finish you off." Her smile was very different from her younger self's: full of malice and evil.

Faith stared her darker self in the eyes. "You can't possibly keep that form outside of the Rift for too long, Death. And how could you possibly kill us if you can't maintain that form?"

Death glared at Faith. "The same way I was able to keep this form when we were separated, Tiny Light. You are nothing compared to me. I am the stronger one. Dark will overcome your pitiful light."

Jack rested a hand on his little daughter's shoulder. "You forget, Death, that she's not alone."

Death smirked at Jack in amusement. "And you think you can defeat me? Pathetic human, you may be my 'mother,' and immortal, but I am stronger than you. Everything must cease to be at some point, even you."

Sarah looked at Death, and just smiled. "You don't know what you're getting into, whoever you are…I don't die easily."

_Doctor, if you're around, we could really use you about now…_

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, Inside the TARDIS<strong>

"Well, this can't be good." Muttered the Doctor, slamming against the door of the TARDIS.

Anwen stared at him nervously. "What, are we locked in? Leave the keys on the curb or something, Doctor?"

He groaned. "More like someone ripped the steering wheel and radio out, then slashed the tires. We can't get out, but we're not going anywhere either." He fiddled with the sonic screwdriver, frowning. "It's not even responding to the sonic! It always responds to the sonic."

Gwen put a hand on his shoulder, her face pale. "Doctor? Where's Jack?"

They looked around, but could not locate Jack, Faith, or Sarah.

The Doctor's frown intensified into an all-out glower. "Forget what I said earlier. This goes way beyond not good. This is spectacularly unfantastic!"

Anwen moaned. "So basically we're fucked."

Gwen stared at her daughter. "Annie! Language!"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, like you never swear."

As the women bickered, the Doctor wandered around the TARDIS, trying to find another way out. Suddenly, he spun back to them, his grin firmly back in place. "Anwen Jacqueline Harkness-Cooper! You've got a rift manipulator."

She pressed a few buttons. It sputtered, sparked, and fizzled. "Not a thing. Apparently we can't use it inside your ship."

Gwen moaned. "Fuck."

* * *

><p><strong>A Dark Alley, Cardiff<strong>

Death lifted an appraising eyebrow at Sarah. "You really are foolish. In that form, you'll die just as easily as every other Human I've taken."

She laughed coldly, sending shivers down Faith's spine. "It is I that you will have a problem trying to kill. Remember. I am Death, after all."

Faith stood defiantly. "I defeated you once, and I will do it again."

Sarah's eyes widened when she realized what Death meant. She might be…something else, but her body was human still. She looked to Jack, hoping he would know what to do. She knew her gun wouldn't work here.

Jack's eyes met Sarah's. He had only faced Death once before, at least in her Reaper form. They had only been able to defeat her when a Dead-not-Dead had fought against her after 12 other human lives had been lost. He thought of Owen and stiffened, remembering the loss of the young medic he loved like a son.

Faith hissed at her darker half. "Are we gonna stand here all day throwing barbs, or are you gonna do something?"

Death smiled evilly at her. "I thought you would never ask."

With that, the older woman charged.

Faith's hands caught Death's as she got close to her. With as much strength as she was able to muster, the younger girl attempted to throw the older one off balance. Faith stuck out her foot and tripped the older version of herself.

Death merely stumbled back, backflipped, and sent Faith flying over her head.

"Faith!" bellowed Jack, charging at Death, his arms outstretched to tackle her to the ground.

Death smiled at this and grasped his arms. A black mist began to rise from where she was holding him.

Jack's face faltered as pain began to seep though, but he pushed forward. This girl had to be defeated.

Faith judo rolled as she hit the ground.

Sarah just watched, terrified for them. She knew somehow, though, that Faith would be ok. This was her fight. If indeed she beat Death once before, surely she could do it again….right?

"Jack!" she cried, grabbing Jack and Death, hoping it was a surprise enough to knock Death over.

Death grinned at Sarah, her brown irises becoming red. Immediately, Sarah fell to her knees, life energy slowly drawn away from her body.

"No!" screamed Faith, getting to her feet and charging her dark doppleganger.

Jack kicked Sarah away. "Careful, Sarah! If she touches you, she'll suck the life right outa you like cream from a crepe!"

Sarah rolled away, weak now. All she could do was watch and hope. She called out once more with her mind, hoping that any of the team, or the Doctor, could hear her.

"Well, excuse me, Jack, for not wanting to disappoint my boss," she hissed back weakly.

Faith collided with her older self, knocking the older woman to the ground. The dark smoke stopped rising from Jack as he slumped over. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision.

He had to stay alive. He had to help his daughter.

* * *

><p><strong>The Cooper Penthouse, Cardiff<strong>

Seren Jones sat alone on the floor, rocking herself back and forth. She had woken to the world more than she had before. Jack's gift of removing the rift from her head seemed to have calmed her some. All the same, the terrible things that Gray did to her still seeped through her mind. She would not sleep well for a long time to come.

"My, my," crooned Gray, approaching her with a dark smile. "Seems everyone left you all to yourself. My scared little duckling."

"N-no. . . go away. . . you can't be here. . . no. . ." she crawled desperately backwards until her back collided with the wall behind her.

"Ah, my dear, but I am here. Did you think that I'd abandon you just because your father's watching over you? Ianto Jones has never terrified me. Ghost powers or otherwise, he's nothing. He never was, and he never will be. Just a dead man who used to fuck my brother and bring him coffee."

Seren shuddered. "What do you want? H-haven't you taken enough from me?"

He smiled cruelly, tearing open her button-up shirt violently. "You are my property, you little Welsh bitch. And I am so very, very bored of all this silence. I want you to scream for me again and again until your throat bleeds. But the pain. . . I know how to make it last. And I will only stop when I'm dead."

"Good enough for me," she hissed. She pulled out the laser gun hidden behind her and shot him point-blank in the chest. His torso exploded, coating her and a good half of the room in blood and gore.

"Sit. Stay. Good bastard." She kicked his corpse in the groin for good measure, spitting in his face. "And nobody insults my father."

Violet walked in and stopped and stared for a second at the scene before her. "What the hell just happened here? Who is that, Seren? And is that your blood or his that you have on you?"

Seren looked at her, a sort of dazed smile on her face. "He was someone who had lost the right to live," she said simply.

Violet was in shock. "But who was he? And there better be a good reason for his death. Now we have to get you cleaned up and see if you have any wounds on you, because that's. . . that's a lot of blood."

Seren managed to focus, her violet eyes burrowing into Violet's. "None of that's important right now, Violet. My friends and family are in danger. Something terrible is attacking them. I can feel it. Dark, evil. Death itself. You have to save them."

* * *

><p><strong>A Dark Alley, Cardiff<strong>

Sarah smiled, hoping her voice didn't shake too much. "Hey, Death…if that's who you really are…aren't you supposed to be a lot taller, wear a long black cloak, and be all…bones? You're making a mockery of your title….armor, really?"

Death kicked her younger self off and turned to Sarah. "Mockery? Really? Well, two can play at that game. What is a nobody like you doing on this puny little planet? I would have thought that you would be off in one of you–"

Faith pounced, once again knocking down her distracted older self. "Hey Death! Guess what?" Faith's hands began to glow where they contacted Death's skin. "Remember this?"

She began chanting something that only her and Death could hear.

Death suddenly flung Faith away, her breath coming in gasps. She staggered to her feet. "You bitch! How did you learn that?"

Sarah just grinned. "I may be a nobody, but at least I'm not crazy or evil!"

Death growled at Sarah. "And you, kindly Shut up."

Faith chuckled. "Did you forget, dear Death, that I was raised by a priest?"

Sarah smirked. "Oooh, growling, now that's something new…I'm curious, what were you going to say a minute ago? Something about me being in something…"

Suddenly, there was a flash of light to Faith's right. She turned to see Violet Conway approach.

"Faith! Sarah! Seren contacted me and told me that members of Torchwood were battling Death. She also told me to come and help. So here I am." She thought for a moment, perplexed. "How do we battle death?"

Death began to chuckle. "Another human for me to fight. How delightful!"

Faith stood between Death and the Time Agent, whispering to Violet. "She touches you, you die. See if you can get into the TARDIS. The Doctor is in there, we're gonna need the help of his Sonic Screwdriver. Also, if Annie is in there, can you ask her if we can borrow her rift manipulator?"

Sarah stood up slowly, walking over to them. "I'll go with you, Violet."

Violet nodded, running to the door of the TARDIS. "Damn it…hrm… how to do this? It seems like it's not gunna open. Looks like we are going to have to try going by wrist strap. Come on Sarah. Hang on to me then.

With a touch of a button on her manipulator, Violet and Sarah vanished, leaving Faith and Jack to fight Death.

Death eyed her quarries warily. She knew now that Faith had figured out a way to subdue her, but only if she was able to touch her. She sighed dramatically.

"Oh, woe is me, two against one." With a speed neither expected her to possess, Death tackled Jack to the ground and began to drain his life force. "Where's the fun in that?"

Faith charged, but she was too slow and Death easily knocked her away. She wouldn't be easily taken down like last time. Death laughed darkly.

"Useless attempt, Faithlet. I saw you coming that time."

"Yeah, but did you see this?" hissed Jack. He suddenly punched Death on the chin, snapping her neck back and throwing her off of him.

Death shook her head, trying to clear the stars from her vision.

Faith jumped onto her older self's back, wrapping her legs around the older one's waist and her arms around her shoulders, immobilizing her arms. Faith's lips were near Death's ear, chanting something over and over. A bright light began to cover the two of them.

Sarah and Violet re-appear, and Sarah turned the sonic screwdriver to the level the Doctor had told her, aiming it at Death.

"Take this, Death!" she cried, pressing the button and sending a sonic blast towards Death.

Violet pulled out the rift manuplator and started to press the buttons on it. There was a brief shaking above them and a hole started to open in the sky.

Death screamed as her physical form dissolved into a black mist, Faith's bright light still surrounding her.

The Rift ripped open and began to pull at the mist like a tornado, pulling it in further and further.

Death screamed louder. "_Maledizione voi, Fede_!"

Suddenly, Faith dropped to the ground. The light vanished. The mist remained.

"Faith!" cried Jack, dashing to his daughter's side. Just as he scooped her into his arms, the mist finally dissipated into the rift. "Close it! Close it now, Violet! Close the Rift!"

She complied. The rift sealed itself.

Jack sighed in relief. "Is everyone ok?"

Sarah pocketed the screwdriver, rushing over. "Faith! What did that bitch do to you?"

Faith did not move in her mother's arms. Her eyes were closed, so that she appears to be asleep. It was as if the battle against herself had been too much.

Jack tapped her cheeks, trying to coax her to awaken. "Faith? Come on, Faith. You can do it. Wake up, kiddo."

Faith did not stir.

He turned to Violet. "Can you see if the TARDIS will open now?" He quickly turned his attention back to his daughter. "Come on, Faith, this isn't funny. Wake up. Please."

Violet walked over to the TARDIS and opened the door with far more force than necessary.

The Doctor burst out, grinning. "Finally! You won't believe what it's like being trapped in your own vehicle!" He smiled at Violet. "Thank you, Violet. You're fantastic. Now, where are the others?"

Jack looked up, his eyes brimming with tears. "Over here, Doctor. She won't wake up!"

The Doctor dashed over to Jack's side, placing a hand on the girl's forehead. "You know I'm–"

Jack scowled. "Just tell me what's wrong with her!"

The Doctor was taken aback. "I'll need my–"

Sarah looked up. "Oh! I'm sorry, Doctor…" She handed the sonic to him.

"Thank you," he replied, taking the screwdriver. He turned it to a specific setting and scanned Faith's forehead with it, frowning deeply.

"What?" asked Jack urgently. "What is it?"

The Doctor looked at the other man sadly. "She's alive, but barely. In order to save her, we will have to reset this timeline."

At that moment, Annie and Seren stepped out of the TARDIS. They were holding hands and tears were streaming down Annie's cheeks.

"We are ready, Doctor," said Seren, violet eyes bright with resolve. "We will fix this."


	15. Miracle Child: ONESHOT

**Miracle Child: ONESHOT**

**_The day that Jack abandoned his daughter, Faith._**

**By Rachel Brook. Used With Permission**

* * *

><p><strong>Saint James' Parish: May 30, 1470<strong>

Captain Jack Harkness stared at the tiny creature in his arms.

Well, creature was an incorrect term for it. More accurately her. The infant in his arms.

His daughter.

The one he had found himself mysteriously pregnant with several months prior. The one that he had carried inside of himself.

And she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen!

A smile, one that for once lacked his flirtatious air or sarcasm, lit his face as he held the infant closer. A laugh escaped his lips as he watched her newborn blue eyes blink up at him and a cute smile cover her face.

"Aren't you the prettiest little thing!" He exclaimed, rubbing his nose on the infant's.

The little girl giggled, one of her small hands coming up to bat his cheek.

Jack continued to play with his baby girl, in the back of his mind trying to come up with a name for her, when the Doctor walked in. The Time Lord looked exhausted and worried.

As he gazed at the small family before him, The Doctor felt his heart clench.

What he had to do would tear this precious Miracle Child from her . . . Mother?

Ugh. This whole situation was all levels of awkward.

"Jack," The Doctor said solemnly.

The other man looked up, his smile still spread on his face. "Doctor?" He lifted the child in his arms. "Isn't she the prettiest thing? Yes you are, aren't you?"

The Doctor felt his throat closing up and his resolve erode. . . But he couldn't let the infant die!

And Jack couldn't stay here.

"Jack, we have to go."

Jack stood up carefully, being sure not to jostle the infant too much. "Of course! The TARDIS can take all three of us, right? Well, now at least, correct?"

The Doctor shook his head. This was going to be more difficult than he had anticipated. "We have to leave her here."

Suddenly, the smile left Jack's face as if he had been slapped. His heart plummeted towards the ground. He visibly paled and a dozen emotions flashed across his face. A hundred more flashed in his eyes before both settled into confusion. "What?" He hoped that he heard the Doctor wrong.

"She's not coming with us." The Doctor repeated.

"Why?" Venom now coated Jack's voice. His face contorting into a furious scowl. When the Doctor didn't readily respond he spat out a response. "Oh. I see how it is. You can take anyone you want, because you are 'The Almighty Doctor.' But when a companion even thinks about asking to have someone else tag along you refuse. You hypocrite!"

"Be reasonable, Jack! You know that's not true."

Jack was shouting now. "How is anything you are saying about this reasonable! To abandon an infant, MY DAUGHTER, only hours old–"

The baby let out a wail, as if begging the two men to stop fighting.

And instantly, Jack calmed down, bouncing the child and shushing her in a soothing tone. The baby silenced her cries after several long moments and soon fell into slumber as she was soothed, her tiny hands balled in his shirt.

Jack looked back up at the Doctor. "Please," His voice and eyes begged. "Don't make me abandon her. I finally have someone to call my family. To share my name with. To take care of. Someone whom I can love and who can love me." He looked back at the infant. "I lost my brother. My parents are dead. Is my baby to lose her mother as well?"

And the flood gates opened.

The Doctor rested a hand on Jack's arm. "We can't, Jack. She is in grave danger if she stays. If we go back into the vortex with her, the. . . Person . . . who assisted in creating her will snatch her away from us. He is more powerful than you and I combined. We cannot protect her."

Jack's tear filled eyes widened, but he did not speak.

The Doctor sighed. "It would be the best for her if we leave her here with someone who _can_care for her, Jack. I know that's hard, but if you really love her, you'll let her go, if not for my request, then for her own safety's sake."

And with that, the Doctor left to give Jack time to think.

Jack didn't notice, nor care, that tears were running down his cheeks as he cradled the now sleeping infant in his arms. The little girl he had never found a name for.

Nor did he see the tears streaming from the retreating Doctor's eyes.

* * *

><p>Midnight in the streets of Saint James Parish. The city is known in another millennium as the home of Torchwood 3…but now is but a humble town, silent with sleep.<p>

Two figures dash though the darkness. Hurried and yet careful, as if making sure that no one is following them.

Soon, they arrive at a small Catholic parish near the edge of the town. Saint Mary's Church is a humble establishment. Functional but small. A sense of peace and serenity emanates from the very walls. It is a place of refuge. The taller of the two figures arrives at the door first and knocks…

Inside the small parish, kneeling before the tabernacle, Father Joseph prays his midnight prayers for the people of his parish and the town. His prayers are disturbed by an urgent knock at the door. He lifts his bowed head, his brows furrowing as he looks at the tabernacle.

_What could someone want from his small sanctuary at this hour?_

Genuflecting to the tabernacle, Joseph heads fro the door as another insistent knock sounds.

He carefully opens the wooden door, revealing before him two strangely dressed men. The taller of the two has shortly cropped hair and old eyes. His clothing is foreign to the priest, but he ignores it. The shorter of the two men has longer brown locks and sad blue eyes. He is donned in a long blue coat. There is a strange bulge under the coat near the man's chest and his left hand is hidden, the right visible above the bulge.

"Peace, my sons." Joseph greets them. "How may I help you?"

At his greeting, the shorter man curiously holds the bulge tighter to him.

It is the taller man that replies. "We need your help, Father."

Joseph is drawn by this statement. "Of course. I will help in any way I can."

The taller man rests a hand on his companion's shoulder. With a rather shaky sigh and tears in his eyes, the other man slowly draws out a bundle wrapped in a small blanket from underneath his coat.

Joseph peers closer at the bundle and sees that wrapped within the blanket is a sleeping infant. Not a day old. Maybe even a few hours old.

"This child," the taller man continues. "Is being hunted."

Joseph looks up at both men incredulously. "W–"

The taller man cuts him off. "It's rather complicated, Father. We cannot take her with us, for to do so would endanger her beyond all telling." The old eyes are pleading now.

"I'll take her in." Father Joseph replies without a second thought. Who was he to deny shelter to one of the Lord's most precious?

Both men's eyes widened briefly, as if they had not expected him to accept so quickly.

"Who am I to deny protection for a little one?" He replied to their astonished faces.

The two men looked at each other and a smile lit the taller man's face. The old eyes returned to Joseph. "Thank you!"

But the other man had a strange reaction. Tears that had been building up since he revealed the infant now spilled over and he held the child tighter to himself. Silent sobs wracked the man's frame.

Joseph wasn't sure why, but the reaction, in his opinion, was very…maternal…

The taller man rubbed the sad eyed man's back. "Jack, you have to."

"I know," Jack, said through his easing sobs. He brought the child's face to his tear stained one and pressed a kiss to the child's forehead. "I will come back for you." He whispered. "One day, we will be together again. I promise."

After one last embrace, Jack passed the infant to Joseph. His calloused hand rubbed the girl's thin brown hair one last time, and then he silently walked away.

Joseph looked up at the old eyed man. "May I ask your name?"

"You can call me the Doctor." He gestured to the child. "Should anything happen to her, call for me."

"Call for–" Joseph looked up again to see that the mysterious man had vanished. "Doctor?" He looked around. "Strange."

Joseph looked down at the sleeping infant. "They never told me your name, little one."

Carrying the child into the sanctuary, thinking of what to name the child, he looks up at an image of the Blessed Virgin near the tabernacle of the sanctuary. "What shall I call her?"

He looked back down at the infant's peaceful face. This child held a light about her. She was special. As special as the virtues given from the Lord above.

"That is what I shall call you," He rocked the infant carefully. "Faith. For I believe your father shall return for you."


	16. The Game of Chance Encounters: ONESHOT

**The Game Of Chance Encounters: ONESHOT**

**_Faith finds her way to Torchwood, to her mother. . . but not before Gray finds her._  
><strong>

**By Rachel Brook. Used with permission.**

* * *

><p><strong>Cardiff, September 20, 1897<strong>

Faith practically skipped as she returned to her "home." She had finally met him! The man her tarot cards had told her was coming!

Sure, he hadn't exactly been a gentleman. In fact, at first he had practically insulted her… at least, until she told him what he wanted to know.

Her smile faltered for a moment. In a way, the man was just like her, trapped in Immortality. Maybe the two of them could become friends?

"Silly Faith," She muttered to herself, smiling and nodding to people she passed. "You don't even know his name!"

She soon reached the edge of town and made her way to the old abandoned parish that she lived in. She looked behind her, to her right and left, making sure no one had followed her. No one was in sight.

She stepped inside the old building, closing the door firmly behind her.

Faith gazed in unfailing wonder around the abandoned building. Sure she had seen every inch of this place and knew it all by heart, but the architecture never failed to amaze her. Out of reflex, she genuflected to the wall where the tabernacle once stood, though the Body of Christ had not been present in the building for years.

She braided her hair quickly, but neatly, and headed towards the Sanctuary. It was time for evening prayers, after all. She knelt and pulled an old, but lovely Rosary out of her pocket. She crossed herself and began, she would offer this Rosary up for the man from the future she had just met.

As she began the first decade of prayers, the door of her sanctuary burst open.

Startled, Faith jumped, clutching the beads closely. She turned to see a tall man with dark hair, pale skin and wild eyes in the doorway.

He looked like one possessed.

Praying to Michael for protection and The Holy Mother for strength, she stepped out of the pew and called out. "You have no right to be here!"

The wild eyes locked on her, and a devilish smile crawled onto his face. He stalked towards her. He had yet to mention a name.

She chanted something in Latin under her breath. This was still blessed ground, her abilities may still work. "Who are you?" She demanded.

Soon he was no more than ten paces from her. "I am Gray. You have met my Brother. I know he is here."

"Your brother?" Faith was now confused.

He continued, ignoring her. "You see, I intend to make his life a living hell. He knows you and…well if you were to die, lets say…" His voice was dripping with malice and murder. "It would be on his conscience, because he was the last to see you alive…"

She began to back away, confusion evident in her eyes. This man was a mad man. Surely.

With a speed she did not expect, he charged at her and grabbed her up in a vice-like grip. She began to struggle…but couldn't escape. Fear began to set in.

"Oh yes. So much fun indeed…"

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the Rift, Outside of time<strong>

Faith wasn't sure of time after that.

Everything was a blur of pain, agony and cuts. Of course, she couldn't die as Gray apparently wanted.

Because she was already dead to begin with.

When Gray had discovered this, he found it even more exciting, and begin to torture her in new ways. His favorite was creating small cuts all over her arms, chest and back in a sickly methodical way.

Every time Gray came, Faith's nerves were alight with pain and screams that she couldn't suppress escaped her lips. And when he finally left, she would pray for a release, by rescue or death.

As "time" passed, she began to doubt a rescue. No one would miss her. She had no family, the priest who has raised her was dead, and no one would go looking in the abandoned parish to see if anyone had lived there.

By all rights, it would appear as if she had never existed.

So she prayed for death.

She had been alive for over 4 centuries. What could God possibly still want from a girl that should have died long ago? She was all alone, no one would even notice her missing.

Then one day, Gray did more than just cut…

When he finally left, Faith curled into a ball in her cell, ignoring the screams of pain from her arms and shoulder. She wanted to weep, but she couldn't.

She felt so ugly. So repulsive.

Why didn't God take her already! Why did he let her suffer? Had he forgotten her? Did she no longer matter?

_No one loves you…_

Faith stiffened at the voice. It was_ that_ voice. The one who haunted her mind when she was alone and loosing heart.

_Your parents abandoned you when you were an infant… Father Joseph never gave you a new home when he died, he just left you alone… Not even God loves you, you stupid girl. You are just a freak of nature in his eyes…_

In times past, Faith would fight that voice tooth and nail… But today, after what Gray had done to her… She couldn't.

_No one is coming. Just give up._

And she almost agreed with the voice…

Until she heard another voice.

"Where can I hide from your spirit?  
>From your presence, where can I flee?<br>If I ascent to the heavens, you are there;  
>If I lie down in Sheol, you are there too."<p>

It was a psalm, one of the ones Father Joseph had drilled into her as a child. The voice speaking the words seemed to beg her to chant along. Weakly, her voice did.

"If I fly with the wings of dawn,  
>And alight beyond the sea,<br>Even there your hand will guide me,  
>You right hand hold me fast."<p>

As she continued to chant, she felt the resolve to fight and escape fill her. She pushed herself into a sitting position, ignoring the pain. She had to get out. Now may be her only chance.

"If I say, 'Surely darkness shall hide me,  
>And night shall be my light'–<br>Darkness is not dark for you,  
>And night shines as the day.<br>Darkness and light are one."

The voice faded into silence, as if it's job had been accomplished.

The last five words bounced in Faith's skull.

_Darkness and Light are one…Darkness and light are one…_

It was like a riddle. One that could help her escape.

Faith pulled her tattered clothing around her tightly, trying to cover herself. "How could a place surrounded in darkness possess light?" She asked aloud.

As if to answer her question, a strange, golden light appeared to her left.

Her eyes, having been starved of light for so long, blinked hard at the soft light, attempting to adjust. When they did, she found herself walking towards it.

Was this it? Was this her way out of here?

The fear of the unknown gripped her hard in the chest

What would Gray do if he found her missing? Would he hunt her down?

She already knew that answer.

But the question that terrified her more was, where was this opening too?

Was it even worth the risk?

Would it be better than being tortured for eternity?

Heck Yes.

She stepped into the light…

…and when she opened her eyes again, she saw a large, black box on wheels with flashing lights coming right towards her.

She took a step back, but did not run away, fascinated by the large object.

Suddenly, it stopped in front of her and two doors opened at either side of the box-like object. Two men came out, both wearing clothing she didn't recognize.

Except….

He eyes widened in shock as a man with dark hair, bright blue eyes and a long, familiar, coat closed the door to the object he stepped out of, a small instrument in his hand, pointed at her.

Immediately, the fear was back. That object had to be a weapon. Her first instinct was to run…but fear rooted her to that spot. She tightened her arms around her, trying to cover herself and hide her wounds.

In all honesty, she only accomplished the former.

Her eyes locked with the familiar man's eyes, begging him to remember her.

As if he had read her mind, his eyes widened and he lowered his weapon. "Don't!" he cried to his partner, gesturing for the other man to lower his weapon. The man with blue eyes put his weapon in a pocket of sorts and approached Faith slowly, striping his jacket off his shoulders.

That made Faith take a step back, remembering Gray…

"Jack!" The other man called. "What are you–"

"I know her, Owen. She is no danger, to us or anyone else."

Owen nodded, but didn't look happy.

Jack looked at Faith and smiled kindly, as if he could see the fear in her eyes, and continued to approach. "I remember you, little fortune teller. It has certainly been a while." When he was close enough, he draped his coat over her. It was huge, but it was warm, covering her completely and then some. It was huge on her small frame.

"I remember you, too." She said in reply, her voice cracked and pained. "What year is it, if you don't mind me asking?"

Jack chuckled. "It's 2006."

Faith's eyes widened. "I've been gone…for over a millennium?"

Jack's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Faith bit her lip. "I was…taken…into the rift shortly after I met you…"

"Taken?"

"I'm sorry, Mr…"

"Harkness. Captain Jack Harkness. Torchwood."

She gripped the jacket harder, her knuckles turning white as she tried hard to remain conscious. "Captain Harkness, but I don't think this matter should be discussed in public…"

And with that, the full weight of exhaustion and torture made her knees buckle.

"Hey!" Jack called out as he caught her.

But she was already unconscious.

**The Hub: September 8, 2006**

Faith awoke to a bright light over her head and a cold, metal table under her.

"I don't get it, Jack." A slightly familiar voice said. "All signs say that she's dead…but dead people don't have Rapid Eye Movement!"

"I agree, Owen."

"I don't have a heart beat," Faith said, her mouth dry. "Because I died several centuries ago. I'm alive, because of the Resurrection Gauntlet."

Owen and Jack turned, eyes wide and startled that she was awake… And she became severally self conscious. She pulled the jacket that Jack had left on her tighter around herself.

Someone came in behind the two men and slapped the two on the back of the head. "Come now, guys." A woman's voice said. "You are embarrassing the poor girl."

A woman with chestnut hair and brown eyes came out of the shadows behind the men and walked over to the girl. Her steps careful, as if she was approaching an easily spooked creature. Faith let the woman approach.

When the woman was right beside her, she set a pile of clothes on the bed. "I hope these will fit."

Faith tilted her head to the side and tried to smile. "Oh. Thank you, Ms…"

"I'm Susan Costello. You can call me Susie."

"Ms. Susie." Faith finished her statement, but did not release the jacket or reach for the clothing.

Susie understood the silent lack of gesture and turned to the two men in the room. "Do you mind?"

Instantly, the men turned and left.

"Now then," Susie said, smiling down at the girl. "Let's get you out of those clothes, yes?"

Almost instantly, the girl pulled back, pulling the coat tighter around her. She didn't want anyone to see the cuts on her… Well, all over her…

The woman's eyes softened and smiled gently. "Alright. Just call for me when you are done, ok."

Faith nodded.

Susie turned to go, but Faith stopped her.

"Ms. Susie." When the woman faced her, she continued. She gestured to the clothes. "Are they long sleeved?"

"Yes."

Faith relaxed in relief. "Thank you. And my name is Faith."

Susie smiled. "Welcome to the 21st century, Faith."


	17. TFL CONCLUSION: Abide With Me

**The Fading Light- CONCLUSION: Abide With Me**

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Hub, Cardiff: August 15, 2030<strong>

Seren Jones and Anwen Cooper were gearing up for what would — should they succeed — be their last mission. They were taking very little with them: a gun each, some cash, and an extra set of clothes.

Jack paced the floor in front of them, his eyes troubled. "Girls," he asked softly, "are you sure you want to do this?"

Seren stared intently at the immortal. "Of course we are, Jack. We were prepared to do this the minute we stepped into your lives."

Annie nodded, smiling sadly at her father. "We would never ask for life at the cost of so many others. And besides, who knows what will happen? Time's a tricky thing, tad."

He tried to smile back, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. Instead, he threw his arms around his teenaged daughter and kissed the top of her head. "I am so, so sorry that I was never there for you, Annie. I shouldn't have left. You needed a father."

She shook her head, pulling him tighter into the embrace. "No. I had a father. You might have been gone most of the time. But you were there for me when I really needed you. You brought my Seren home."

Jack sighed. "You and I both know that wasn't enough, sweetheart. You deserved better. You and your mother both did."

"But I got Batman." She laughed softly as he pulled away and looked at her in confusion.

"Thank you, dad," she continued. "For everything. Even when you weren't there, you gave me someone. . . someone to fight for. Someone I can still fight for. I love you, dad. And I'm going to do this for you." She kissed his cheek gently and walked over to Seren.

The other girl smiled warmly at her girlfriend's mother. "Gwen, thank you for taking care of me after my parents died. I know things were never easy, but. . ." She embraced the older woman tightly. As she pulled away, she slipped her whistle and gun into Gwen's hand.

"What's this?" asked Gwen, confused.

Seren smiled sadly. "I won't need that where we're going. Please, take care of Myfanwy for me. I'm afraid she'll be lonely now."

Gwen nodded. "I will. I promise." She struggled to hold back her tears, to stay brave for her girls.

Annie kissed her mother warmly, smiling at her. "Ffarwel, mam," she murmured in Welsh.

"Arhoswch yn ddiogel," replied Gwen, kissing her cheek gently.

Seren and Annie met each other at an open space in the room, near where Jack and Seren arrived from the rift. They held hands tightly, smiling serenely at each other. Then Annie pressed a button on her rift manipulator, and they vanished.

Gwen looked at Jack, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"Shhh, now," he whispered. "It'll be ok. In a few minutes, this will all seem like a dream."

Gwen kissed him gently on the lips. As she drew back, she whispered sadly to him.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

><p><strong>An Alleyway: London: 2009, Day 4 of the 456 Incident<strong>

The man known as John Hart walked down a narrow side street, oddly underdressed. His normal red coat was gone, replaced with a faded grey t-shirt, torn jeans, and old trainers. It was clear that he did not want to stand out for once. As he walked, he mumbled quietly to himself.

"C'mon Eye Candy. Where are you? Shouldn't be that hard to track you down. And according to my calculations, you should be here by. . ."

He stopped as a short, well-dressed man appeared in the alleyway, carrying shopping bags. Ianto Jones walked quickly. Jack hated it when he was late, especially in those dark days.

Hart whistled. "Well, hello again."

Ianto pivoted, his green eyes narrowed. "And what do you want, then? In case you haven't heard, Jack's too busy to play right now."

Hart chuckled, leering at him. "Oh, Eye Candy. Still so very pretty but so very stupid. I'm not here for Jack."

"Get down, Ianto!" screamed Annie.

He ducked as Jack's daughter fired a sonic taser at Hart. He was hit full in the chest and went down swiftly, convulsing with electricity.

Ianto stared at her in shock. "What. . . who are you?"

She smiled grimly. "A friend. Now run. Jack's starting to worry."

He nodded. "Thank you!"

She smiled sadly at him as he took off down the alleyway, bags in hand.

"Goodbye, Ianto Jones," she whispered. She hefted the unconscious Hart and dragged him towards the abandoned flats.

* * *

><p><strong>Abandoned Flats, London: Same Day<strong>

Mira Jamerson, time agent, smiled warmly at her companions. The time for retribution was nearly at hand. All they had to do now is find Hart, and he had agreed to go stand trial for the murders of their operatives.

Her smile cooled as the task proved harder than anticipated. "He said he'd meet us at this old abandoned set of flats. But I don't see him anywhere."

Suddenly, her vortex manipulator beeped. She pressed the play button, and a hologram of Hart appeared.

"I'm so sorry, luv, but I'm afraid capturing me isn't going to be so easy. See, here I was, going to turn myself in, and wouldn't you know I had to blunder into another crisis? Now, I can't just let you all take me. So here's the deal. You let me go, and I don't destroy the future. Seems pretty reasonable to me. See you around!"

He vanished and the transmission ended.

Mira glared angrily at the place his projection had been. "Forget the trial. When I catch that bastard, I'm gonna vivisect him."

Susan looked thoughtfully at Mira.

"Well, wasn't that fun girls? Our serial nut bunny has decided he wants to play hero. Take a note Superior Officer," she stressed sardonically, "when the nut bunnies promise you something, never, EVER believe them okay? Makes things so much easier when you remember that point."

Mira sighed. "You're right, of course. I can't believe I was so stupid that I. . ."

She paused, listening, her ear cocked towards the building.

"Anyone else hear. . . scraping?"

Susie didn't change stance but suddenly there was a watchfulness about her as she scanned the area.

"Stationary or mobile?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it's coming from this building."

Mira motioned for the others to follow her stealthily. As they entered the building, she recognized a familiar smell: fear, and a sort of citrusy residue.

"Something strange is going on here," she whispered.

Susie wrinkled her nose at the unfamiliar smell. She knew the smell of fear, but what was the other one? Some sort of sweet, lemony smell? She didn't know but it was oddly familiar, as if she should recognize it. And even more peculiar, it seemed somehow…comforting.

She coughed. "Okay, I don't know about you, but I'm thinking trap…yep…definitely trap. Which totally explains why we're still heading in this direction. Completely natural under the circumstances."

Mira looked over her shoulder, nodding. "I agree it's a trap. Maybe you should go check the rest of the building."

Susan nodded and headed down the hall.

Mira opened a door to find John Hart, naked and cursing, tied to a bed.

He hissed at her. "Clever. Very clever, sending some new faces with high-powered machinery after me."

Mira stared at him in shock. "What the hell are you talking about? I never sent anyone."

"Then who . . .?" he trailed off with a sigh. "Oh, it doesn't matter. Untie me, will you?"

Mira beamed at him. "Don't think I will, thanks."

"Stupid bitch!" he growled. "If you weren't such a whore, I would have killed you by now."

She ran towards him, ready to slap him across the face. He reached up a hand and plunged a small blade under her left breast. As he pulled back, shredded rope fell from his wrist.

"Your boss says hello, Heather," he muttered. He smiled sadly as he watched her blood bubble over his hand. "One last mission before I left for good. And it had to be this one. I'm sorry, little Mira. Say hello to Lucian for me. He was a good man. I'm sorry about him too."

Seren and Annie watched in horror from the hallway as Mira crumpled to the ground, a pool of blood spreading around her and staining the hardwood floor. Hart noticed them and nodded, pressing a button on his vortex manipulator and vanishing from sight.

"So that's it, then," whimpered Seren. "Both of them. Dead. And they never even met each other."

Annie pulled her close as she wept.

"It. . . It's just so. . . they were made for each other, and now they'll never know," Seren sobbed, clinging to the woman she loved.

Annie thought of her own parents. Everything would change now. But. . . "I know what you mean," she murmured.

They kissed passionately, their tears mingling and soaking their shirts. As they kissed, they began to fade, until soon all that was left was a sigh and Mira's corpse.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well, that's the end of the Torchwood Arc of <strong>_**Out of the Vortex**_**! Next section is the beginning of the Time Agency Arc, which gets pretty confusing. Join us on the next update with **_**The Thousand-Year Curse, _starting tomorrow._**


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